Meaning of smother in English

1. Pronunciation

   /ˈsməðər/

   US accent

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   UK accent

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1. Verb

   smother

   Etymology

   Middle English (as a noun in the sense ‘stifling smoke’): from the base of Old Englishsmorian ‘suffocate’

   Definitions

   1. envelop completely

   Examples

   • « smother the meat in gravy »
2. 2. deprive of oxygen and prevent from breathing

   Examples

   • « Othello smothered Desdemona with a pillow »
   • « The child suffocated herself with a plastic bag that the parents had left on the floor »
3. 3. conceal or hide

   Examples

   • « smother a yawn »
   • « muffle one's anger »
   • « strangle a yawn »
4. 4. form an impenetrable cover over

   Examples

   • « the butter cream smothered the cake »
5. 5. deprive of the oxygen necessary for combustion

   Examples

   • « smother fires »

6. Noun

   smother

   Definitions

   1. a confused multitude of things
7. 2. a stifling cloud of smoke