smother en · VERB · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈsməðər/ (General-American)
- /ˈsmʊðə/ (Northern-England)
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˈsmʊðəɹ/ (Ireland)
- /ˈsmʌðɚ/ (General-American)
- /ˈsmʌðə/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈsmʌðəɹ/ (Northern-Ireland, Scotland)
Etymology
From Middle English smothren, smortheren, alteration (due to smother, smorther (“a suffocating vapour, dense smoke”, noun)) of Middle English smoren (“to smother”), from Old English smorian (“to smother, suffocate, choke”), from Proto-West Germanic *smorōn, from Proto-Germanic *smurōną (“to suffocate, strangle”), probably related to *smallijan (“to burn”) or Old English smoca (“smoke”). Cognate with Middle Low German smoren, smurten (“to choke, suffocate”), West Flemish smoren (“to smoke, reek”), Dutch smoren (“to suffocate, smother", also "to stew, simmer”), German schmoren (“to stew, simmer, braise”).
Meanings
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(transitive) To suffocate; stifle; obstruct, more or less completely, the respiration of something or someone.
He smothered her by pressing his hand over her mouth.
But I am Pestilence;—hither and thither I flit about, that I may slay and smother;— All lips which I have kissed must surely wither, But Death’s—if thou art he, we’ll go to work together!
1817 December, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “The Revolt of Islam. […]”, in [Mary] Shelley, editor, The Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. […], volume I, London: Edward Moxon […], published 1839, →OCLC, page 280:[…] he dashes to his destination at such a speed that when he stops the horse half smothers him in a cloud of steam. "Unbear him half a moment to freshen him up, and I'll be back."
1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853, →OCLC:The awfulest thing was the silence; there wasn't a sound but the screaking of the saddles, the measured tramplings, and the sneezing of the horses, afflicted by the smothering dust-clouds which they kicked up.
1895 October, Louis de Conte, translated by [Jean François Alden] [pseudonyms; Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain)], “Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. […]”, in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume XCI, number DXLV, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →ISSN, [book I], part II, chapter XVI, page 746, column 1:
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(transitive) To extinguish or deaden, as fire, by covering, overlaying, or otherwise excluding the air.
to smother a fire with ashes
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(transitive) To reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity; suppress or do away with; extinguish
The committee's report was smothered.
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(transitive) To cook in a close dish.
beefsteak smothered with onions
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(transitive) To daub or smear.
And I keep quite a lot of it around, especially chocolate-covered almonds and Trader Joes minipretzels smothered in dark chocolate.
2007 October 30, Jane E. Brody, “My Diet Strategy? Controlled Indulgence”, in The New York Times:
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(intransitive) To be suffocated.
She is smothered by the rope.
- (intransitive) To breathe with great difficulty by reason of smoke, dust, close covering or wrapping, or the like.
- (intransitive, of a fire) to burn very slowly for want of air; smolder.
- (figuratively, intransitive) to perish, grow feeble, or decline, by suppression or concealment; be stifled; be suppressed or concealed.
-
To get in the way of a kick of the ball.
Emmanuel Adebayor's touch proved a fraction heavy as he guided Van der Vaart's exquisite long ball round John Ruddy, before the goalkeeper did well to smother Bale's shot from Modric's weighted pass.
2011 December 27, Mike Henson, “Norwich 0 - 2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport:
- (qualifier:Australian rules football) To get in the way of a kick of the ball, preventing it going very far. When a player is kicking the ball, an opponent who is close enough will reach out with his hands and arms to get over the top of it, so the ball hits his hands after leaving the kicker's boot, dribbling away.
- To prevent the development of an opponent's attack by one's arm positioning.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| smoother | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| smothered | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| smothered | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| smothers | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| smothering | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Deriveds
smotherer · smother mate · unsmother · smothery · smothercate · smotheringly · smother-fly · smothersome · smother crop · unsmothered · smotheration · smotherable
Relateds
Synonyms
cover up · stifle · suffocate · conceal · choke · choke · stifle · hide · stifle
Translations (119)
bg потискам (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · ga plúch (to suffocate) · gv ploogh (to suffocate) · ru задуши́ть (to suffocate) · fi kyteä (to burn very slowly for want of air) · de unterdrücken (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · fr suffoquer (to breathe with great difficulty) · pt asfixiar (to suffocate) · ru тушить (to cook in a close dish) · de bedecken (to daub or smear) · it ridurre (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · fi tukehtua (to be suffocated) · mi ponguru (to burn very slowly for want of air) · es sofocar (to extinguish or deaden) · it nascondere (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · bg задъхвам се (to breathe with great difficulty) · es asfixiar (to suffocate) · ru задыха́ться (to breathe with great difficulty) · pl przydusić (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · pt apagar (to extinguish or deaden) · de überziehen (to daub or smear) · ru потуши́ть (to extinguish or deaden) · ru задыха́ться (to be suffocated) · bg задушавам се (to be suffocated) · nl temperen (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · it soffocare (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · wa sofoker (to extinguish or deaden) · fr cuire à l’étouffée (to cook in a close dish) · ru души́ть (to suffocate) · sv kväva (to extinguish or deaden) · de schwelen (to burn very slowly for want of air) · mi tātāmi (to extinguish or deaden) · bg душа (to suffocate) · eo sufoki (to suffocate) · bg угасявам (to extinguish or deaden) · es reprimir (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · mi whakapongere (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · it colmare (to cook in a close dish) · sv kväva (to suffocate) · wa sofoker (to be suffocated) · es sofocar (to suffocate) · es extinguir (to extinguish or deaden) · mi tāmoe (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · be душыць (to suffocate) · ru потушить (to cook in a close dish) · wa sofoker (to breathe with great difficulty) · el πνίγω (to suffocate) · de ersticken (to extinguish or deaden) · de ersticken (Figuratively: to perish, grow feeble, or decline) · it reprimere (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · es agobiar (to suffocate) · hu megfojt (to suffocate) · fi tukehduttaa (to suffocate) · it rallentare (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · pt sufocar (to suffocate) · de ersticken (to suffocate) · mi whakapongere (to extinguish or deaden) · fi tukehtua (to breathe with great difficulty) · wa stofer (to suffocate) · el πνίγω (to extinguish or deaden) · mi tātāmi (to suffocate) · sv kvävas (to be suffocated) · mi whakakōmau (to extinguish or deaden) · it spegnere (to extinguish or deaden) · ru туши́ть (to extinguish or deaden) · mi whakapopō (to extinguish or deaden) · bg задушавам (to cook in a close dish) · de abdecken (to daub or smear) · wa stofer (to extinguish or deaden) · fi tukahduttaa (to extinguish or deaden) · el πνίγομαι (to be suffocated) · ru тлеть (to burn very slowly for want of air) · el προκαλώ ασφυξία (to suffocate) · it estinguere (to extinguish or deaden) · fr étouffer (to suffocate) · fi tukahtua (Figuratively: to perish, grow feeble, or decline) · ru задохну́ться (to breathe with great difficulty) · it asfissiare (to suffocate) · it affogare (to cook in a close dish) · el πνίγω (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · es ahogar (to suffocate) · chr ᎠᎭᏬᏍᏗᎭ (to suffocate) · nl stikken (to suffocate) · bg потушавам (to extinguish or deaden) · pl zdusić (to extinguish or deaden) · de dämpfen (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · fi tukahduttaa (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · sv tyna (to burn very slowly for want of air) · uk задуши́ти (to suffocate) · mi tāmi (to extinguish or deaden) · mi popō (to burn very slowly for want of air) · sv dämpa (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · pl dusić (to cook in a close dish) · ota بوغمق (to suffocate) · ca asfixiar (to suffocate) · mi tāmi (to suffocate) · wa stofer (to be suffocated) · ru задохну́ться (to be suffocated) · tr boğmak (to suffocate) · da kvæle (to suffocate) · el καταπνίγω (to reduce to a low degree of vigor or activity) · bg задушавам (to suffocate) · be задушыць (to suffocate) · it soffocare (to extinguish or deaden) · mi tāmou (to extinguish or deaden) · es apagar (to extinguish or deaden) · bg задушавам се (to breathe with great difficulty) · sv utsläcka (to extinguish or deaden) · pl udusić (to suffocate) · fr étouffer (to extinguish or deaden) · mi hāhā (to breathe with great difficulty) · nl uitdoven (to extinguish or deaden) · de schmoren (to cook in a close dish) · sv tyna (Figuratively: to perish, grow feeble, or decline) · it soffocare (to suffocate) · it ricoprire (to cook in a close dish) · bg тлея (to burn very slowly for want of air) · el πνίγομαι (to breathe with great difficulty) · uk души́ти (to suffocate)