smother meaning

smother as a verb

1. envelop completely
   • smother the meat in gravy

   Synonyms: surround

   Type of: cover

2. deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing
   • Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow
   • The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor

   Synonyms: asphyxiate, suffocate

   Type of: kill

3. suppress in order to conceal or hide
   • smother a yawn
   • muffle one's anger
   • strangle a laugh
   • repress a cry of fear

   Synonyms: stifle, strangle, muffle, repress

   Type of: inhibit

   Related forms: smotherer

4. form an impenetrable cover over
   • the butter cream smothered the cake

   Type of: cover

5. deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion
   • smother fires

   Synonyms: put out

   Type of: snuff out

smother as a noun

1. a confused multitude of things

   Synonyms: clutter, jumble, muddle, fuddle, mare's nest, welter

   Type of: disorderliness

   Kinds: rummage

2. a stifling cloud of smoke

   Type of: smoke

How to pronounce smother

smother is pronounced /ˈsmʌðɚ/ in American English. It has 2 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.

Words that rhyme with smother

• brother
• another
• souther