From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsmitesmite /smaɪt/ verb (past tense smote /sməʊt $ smoʊt/, past participle smitten /ˈsmɪtn/) [transitive] 1 HIT old use to hit something with a lot of force2 biblicalDESTROY to destroy, attack, or punish someone→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
smite• The trees are splintered, crushed, and broken, as if smitten by thunderbolts.• She waited for realisation, for pain to smite her.• Then, without warning, a tremendous blast smote the city, knocking pedestrians to the ground.Origin smite Old English smitan “to make dirty, smear” 