smothering meaning

Definition of smothering

1. causing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat
   • the choking June dust
   • the smothering soft voices
   • smothering heat
   • the room was suffocating--hot and airless

   Synonyms: suffocating, suffocative

   Similar: breathless

smothering in a sentence

• Gabriel killed Rima by smothering her with a pillow.
• The legionnaire started smothering Yanni's mother.

How to pronounce smothering

smothering is pronounced /ˈsmʌðərɪŋ/ in American English. It has 3 syllables, with the stress on the first syllable.