Synonyms for smother
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Suffocate — to suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone
suffocate, stifle, strangle, repress, choke, suppress, extinguish, keep down, choke out, subdue, keep back, muffle, quell, snuff out, allay, gag, check, asphyxiate, restrain, quash, dampen, inhibit
2. Conceal — to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish
Definitions
- v. 1
To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
He smothered her by pressing his hand over her mouth.
- v. 2
To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish
The committee's report was smothered.
Forms
- Past participle
- smother'd
e.g. smother'd → suffocated, stifled, strangled, repressed…
Example sentences
- strangle Tom couldn't quite bring himself to strangle Mary.
- stifle Sami stuffed a bag inside Layla's mouth to stifle her.
- suffocate The US tried to suffocate Cuba's communist economy.
- repress He tried to to repress his anger during the meeting.
- swallow Mary wanted the ground to open up and swallow her.
- surround He always prefers to surround himself with girls.
By length
- 3 letters
- gag1
- 4 letters
- hide1
- 5 letters
- check1, choke1, quell1, quash1, allay2
- 6 letters
- subdue2, stifle2, dampen2, muffle2
- 7 letters
- swallow2, conceal2, inhibit3, repress2, slather2, smolder2
- 8 letters
- surround2, suppress2, restrain2, strangle2, smoulder
- 9 letters
- suffocate3
- 10 letters
- extinguish3, asphyxiate4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (allay2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- étouffer
- Italiano
- soffocare
- Español
- sofocar
- Deutsch
- erdrosseln