From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsmothersmoth‧er /ˈsmʌðə $ -ər/ verb [transitive] 1 COVERto completely cover the whole surface of something with something else, often in a way that seems unnecessary or unpleasantsmother something with/in something noodles smothered in garlic sauce2 KILLBREATHEto kill someone by putting something over their face to stop them breathing → suffocate A teenage mother was accused of smothering her 3-month-old daughter.3 HIDE/NOT SHOWto stop yourself from showing your feelings or from doing an action SYN stifle The girls tried to smother their giggles.4 EMOTIONALto give someone so much love and attention that they feel as if they are not free and become unhappy I don’t want him to feel smothered.5 → smother somebody with kisses6 BURN#to make a fire stop burning by preventing air from reaching it We used a wet towel to smother the fire.7 STOP something THAT IS HAPPENINGto get rid of anyone who opposes you – used to show disapproval They ruthlessly smother all opposition.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
smother• I had to end it with Tim - I felt like I was being smothered.• Nancy smothered a smile.• The story - and, apparently, the memory - had been smothered by greater horrors.• Caliph Marwan Ibn al-Hakam: smothered by his wife, Umm Khalid.• When she was 18, she smothered her 11-month-old daughter.• It smothered him like dense mist.• Though prawns are low in calories, they are then smothered in a dressing loaded with them.• One girl in the ambulance was smothered in blood.• The streets of the resort were clotted with cars and smothered in the smell of fried food and sun tan lotion.• The Phillies' Curt Schilling smothered the Blue Jays, 5-0.• I grabbed a blanket and tried to smother the flames.• If the victim's clothes are burning, use a blanket to smother the flames.• He flipped and stirred, measuring lumps of rice on to plates which he then smothered with a brownish stroganoff.smother something with/in something• My steak arrived, smothered in onions and gravy.Origin smother (1100-1200) smother “thick smoke” ((12-19 centuries)), from Old English smorian “to suffocate” 