smolder

or smoul·der

[ smohl-der ]

/ ˈsmoʊl dər /

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See synonyms for: smolder / smoldering on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to burn without flame; undergo slow or suppressed combustion.

to exist or continue in a suppressed state or without outward demonstration: Hatred smoldered beneath a polite surface.

to display repressed feelings, as of indignation, anger, or the like: to smolder with rage.

noun

dense smoke resulting from slow or suppressed combustion.

a smoldering fire.

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Origin of smolder

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

OTHER WORDS FROM smolder

un·smol·der·ing, adjective

How to use smolder in a sentence

This story simply could not be completed—the proof smoldered on the notepad in front of me.
A Mathematically Impossible Novel: Manil Suri Explains “The City of Devi”|Manil Suri|March 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The clothes that designer Stefano Pilati created for his final collection at YSL smoldered with audacity and dark sexuality.
Paris Fall Fashion Week 2012: A Finale at Yves Saint Laurent|Robin Givhan|March 7, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But inner-city violence has smoldered for a long time, explains crime journalist Gavin Knight.
A Tinderbox Waiting for a Match|Gavin Knight|August 11, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Backstage—as young singers fought to the death—a war smoldered.
Why Simon Is Quitting Idol|Richard Rushfield|January 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST

As luck would have it, some sparks still smoldered in the tow, and thus I was able once more to nurse up a tiny flame.
The Way of a Man|Emerson Hough
But that spark which he had tried in vain to fan into flame still smoldered.
The Range Boss|Charles Alden Seltzer
At last the candles snuffed out, and naught but the back log smoldered and glowed in the darkness.
The Green Forest Fairy Book|Loretta Ellen Brady
As a fire that has smoldered long flames up in many places at once, so the war broke out with several actions in quick succession.
Four American Indians|Edson L. Whitney
Dressed in the habit of his order, the Prior sat before a pile of logs that smoldered in the huge fireplace.
Rescue Dog of the High Pass|James Arthur Kjelgaard

British Dictionary definitions for smolder

smolder

/ (ˈsməʊldə) /

verb, noun

the US spelling of smoulder

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

smolder

or smoul·der

Origin of smolder

OTHER WORDS FROM smolder

Words related to smolder

How to use smolder in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smolder