smite
Americanverb (used with object)
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to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon.
She smote him on the back with her umbrella.
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to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.
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to strike down, injure, or slay.
His sword had smitten thousands.
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to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect.
smitten by polio.
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to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang.
His conscience smote him.
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to affect suddenly and strongly with a specified feeling.
They were smitten with terror.
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to impress favorably; charm; enamor.
He was smitten by her charms.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb
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to strike with a heavy blow or blows
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to damage with or as if with blows
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to afflict or affect severely
smitten with flu
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to afflict in order to punish
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to strike forcibly or abruptly
the sun smote down on him
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of smite
First recorded before 900; Middle English smiten, Old English smītan; cognate with German schmeissen “to throw,” Dutch smijten
Explanation
To smite is to strike with a heavy blow. If you’re playing an ancient Norse warrior in a play, you might get to smite your enemy with a club. Smite comes from the old English for striking or smearing. You’re most likely to find it reading Biblical stories or mythologies, for example, where the thunderbolt of Zeus smites some misbehaving Greek fellow. The past participle of this verb is the cool word smitten, which is what you say about someone who's fallen head over heels for something or someone, that is, their emotions have been struck.
Vocabulary lists containing smite
The Hobbit
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"To Build a Fire," Vocabulary from the short story
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Jon Neimester, a concept artist who works on the popular video game Smite, has said he is collecting evidence for a class-action lawsuit.
From The Verge • Feb. 8, 2022
Users reported seeing images of Bezos in the listings for GTA V, Dota 2, Smite, Minecraft, Apex Legends, and many more on the Amazon-owned service.
From The Verge • Oct. 8, 2021
MOBAs are the same; League of Legends, Dota 2, Smite, and Heroes of the Storm don’t make you buy in.
From The Verge • Oct. 29, 2020
It involves a minor kerfuffle between private organizations over Hi-Rez Studios’ currently in-beta free-to-play strategy game Smite.
From Forbes • Jul. 18, 2012
Eugene visited the show room at the time the pictures were being hung, with Angela, with Smite and MacHugh, Shotmeyer and others.
From The "Genius" by Dreiser, Theodore
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
