smother

smoth·er (sm

v. smoth·ered, smoth·er·ing, smoth·ers

v.tr.

a. To suffocate (another).

b. To deprive (a fire) of the oxygen necessary for combustion.

2. To conceal, suppress, or hide: Management smothered the true facts of the case. We smothered our indignation and pressed onward.

3. To cover thickly: smother chicken in sauce.

4. To lavish a surfeit of a given emotion on (someone): The grandparents smothered the child with affection.

v.intr.

a. To suffocate.

b. To be extinguished.

2. To be concealed or suppressed.

3. To be surfeited with an emotion.

Something, such as a dense cloud of smoke or dust, that smothers or tends to smother.

[Middle English smotheren, from smorther, dense smoke; see smolder.]

smother

Verb

1. to extinguish (a fire) by covering so as to cut it off from the air

2. to suffocate

3. to surround or overwhelm (with): she smothered him with her idea of affection

4. to suppress or stifle: he smothered an ironic chuckle

5. to cover over thickly: ice cream smothered with sauce [Old English smorian to suffocate]

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	smother - a confused multitude of things clutter, fuddle, jumble, mare's nest, muddle, welter disorderliness, disorder - a condition in which things are not in their expected places; "the files are in complete disorder" rummage - a jumble of things to be given away
	2.	smother - a stifling cloud of smoke fume, smoke - a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
Verb	1.	smother - envelop completely; "smother the meat in gravy" surround cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
	2.	smother - 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" asphyxiate, suffocate asphyxiate, stifle, suffocate - be asphyxiated; die from lack of oxygen; "The child suffocated under the pillow" kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"
	3.	smother - conceal or hide; "smother a yawn"; "muffle one's anger"; "strangle a yawn" muffle, stifle, strangle, repress conquer, inhibit, stamp down, suppress, subdue, curb - to put down by force or authority; "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires"
	4.	smother - form an impenetrable cover over; "the butter cream smothered the cake" spread over, cover - form a cover over; "The grass covered the grave"
	5.	smother - deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion; "smother fires" put out extinguish, snuff out - put an end to; kill; "The Nazis snuffed out the life of many Jewish children"