smolder

Or smoul·der

[smohl-der]

verb (used without object)

1. to burn without flame; undergo slow or suppressed combustion.

2. to exist or continue in a suppressed state or without outward demonstration.

   Hatred smoldered beneath a polite surface.

3. to display repressed feelings, as of indignation, anger, or the like.

   to smolder with rage.

noun

1. dense smoke resulting from slow or suppressed combustion.

2. a smoldering fire.

smolder

/ ˈsməʊldə /

verb

1. the US spelling of smoulder

Other Word Forms

• unsmoldering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of smolder¹

1275–1325; (noun) Middle English smolder smoky vapor, dissimilated variant of smorther smother; (v.) Middle English (as present participle smolderende ), derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

There are underground fires burning in at least two landfills in Southern California — smoldering chemical reactions that are incinerating buried garbage, releasing toxic fumes and spewing liquid waste.

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“They weigh 30 tons and have up to 18-foot blades and can bury smoldering fuels and expose new fuels, which can create new hazards and place firefighters at risk.”

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A vast canyon of buried garbage has been smoldering inside a landfill in the Santa Clarita Valley, inducing geysers of liquid waste onto the surface and noxious fumes into the air.

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“We know now that our own firefighters on the ground were offering warnings that it was still too hot, that it was still too smoldering,” Park said.

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Last week, The Times cited text messages among firefighters in reporting that crews mopping up the Lachman fire had warned the battalion chief that remnants of the blaze were still smoldering.

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Related Words

• boil 
• erupt 
• explode 
• fester 
• seethe