smolder
verb (used without object)
to burn without flame; undergo slow or suppressed combustion.
smoldering
-
present participleof smolder.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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.
With every step farther into “the pile,” what rescue workers came to call the smoldering mass of debris, a coating of white powder got thicker and deeper—like snow that wasn’t snow, my father recalls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Drought changes that dramatically, allowing flames to enter the peat itself and continue smoldering below the surface.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026
“There was so many people up there that said they did see smoldering, so why wasn’t it taken care of?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Firefighters and police, some wearing face masks, were working amid the twisted, smoldering wreckage of the aircraft.
From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026
Once the fire was out and the sodden, burned tree lay smoldering on the floor, we all just stood there.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
