smite

American  

[smahyt] / smaɪt /

verb (used with object)

smote, smit, smitten, smit, smiting

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   slap, buffet, cuff, knock

2. to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.

3. to strike down, injure, or slay.

   His sword had smitten thousands.

4. to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect.

   smitten by polio.

5. to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang.

   His conscience smote him.

6. to affect suddenly and strongly with a specified feeling.

   They were smitten with terror.

7. to impress favorably; charm; enamor.

   He was smitten by her charms.

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verb (used without object)

smote, smit, smitten, smit, smiting

1. to strike; deal a blow.

idioms

1. smite hip and thigh. hip.

smite British  

/ smaɪt /

verb

1. to strike with a heavy blow or blows

2. to damage with or as if with blows

3. to afflict or affect severely

   smitten with flu

4. to afflict in order to punish

5. to strike forcibly or abruptly

   the sun smote down on him

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Other Word Forms

• smiter noun

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.

Example Sentences

“Curtis and I served together in the state Senate, he is your state senator. He is Republican. I am a Democrat. But when we team up in a bipartisan manner, we will smite evil.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 25, 2024

Will he lose his head, or is the Green Knight’s bark worse than his smite?

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 29, 2021

In the fable he likes to weave, Clemson will always be the lightly regarded college from the tiny town that rises up to smite the giants.

From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2020

A number of religious texts speak of stones from heaven, which sometimes arrived at opportune moments to smite the enemies of the authors of those texts.

From Textbooks • Oct. 13, 2016

Before I could speak or Katz could seize a log with which to smite her dead, she said, “Well, I don’t mind if I do,” and ate it in two bites.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Related Words

• afflict