smother
verb (used with object)
to stifle or suffocate, as by smoke or other means of preventing free breathing.
smothering
-
present participleof smother.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.
Oil spills can cause immediate deaths of marine animals and other organisms, for example by physically trapping turtles, smothering the feathers of seabirds or damaging the gills of fish.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Both teams are playing with backup quarterbacks, and the real difference here is Seattle’s smothering defense.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
Ms. Cline inhabits his thoughts in close third-person and though she writes in the past tense, her narration evokes an intimate, sometimes smothering feeling of presentness—of being confined within David’s immediate consciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Critics fear deep-sea mining will cause irreversible damage, smothering marine life in plumes of waste and disrupting oceanic migrations with the thrum of heavy machinery.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
There must be a way to make these smothering rules go away.
From "March Forward, Girl" by Melba Pattillo Beals
