smolder
verb (used without object)
to burn without flame; undergo slow or suppressed combustion.
smolders
-
present tense formof smolder (3rd person singular).present tense
Used to describe things happening now or regularly.
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.
In Kim Eunho’s 1927 ink and color painting on silk, “Woman Reading the Fortune of the Day,” a hostess in traditional hanbok dress whiles away her break with gaming tiles as a cigarette smolders nearby.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026
“A holdover fire is a fire that smolders undetectably,” Martin said in a statement.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 2023
Elliot smolders, barely contained by a cravat, whether blocking the path when Anne is on a walk with her family, or entering a room.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2022
As the Alisal fire smolders in Santa Barbara County, residents in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Friday were bracing for the arrival of critical fire weather and the threat of Santa Ana winds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2021
The trees seethe and the house smolders, and standing in the gravel of the driveway, the daylight nearly finished, the locksmith has an unsettling thought: Someone might be coming for us.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
