smother
verb (used with object)
to stifle or suffocate, as by smoke or other means of preventing free breathing.
smothers
-
present tense formof smother (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.
L.A.’s heat-seeking “Showtime” franchise is obsessed over more than any other, in good times and especially troubled ones, to the point where it smothers other NBA coverage and drives many fans nuts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2025
Mr. Prigozhin frequently belittled General Gerasimov in his Telegram audio messages, implying that he was an office-bound official of the kind that smothers regular soldiers with bureaucracy.
From New York Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
Also if a skater — not the goaltender — smothers the puck in the goal crease.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2022
The surges of emotion are still there, the final comeuppances still rousing, even if the climax itself smothers its most electrifying twist with some predictably ostentatious visual effects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 8, 2022
“The weight of it is enormous, Jule. It smothers me. You’re pushing me to be something to you, and I don’t want to be it.”
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
