Smother (Verb)

Sentence with Context:

Nina Savelle-Rocklin, a Los Angeles-based psychoanalyst and the author of “The Binge Cure: 7 Steps to Outsmart Emotional Eating”, says many of us learned to deny or smother our pain in childhood, leaving us with no idea of how to soothe ourselves in later life.

Source: www.theguardian.com

But her subjects were her neighbors—the Prime Minister lived just down the hill. In recent years, he and his Cabinet had sought to smother her with libel lawsuits. People in his office used their work computers to post cruel gossip about her, accompanied by unflattering photographs.

Source: www.newyorker.com

Meaning: Cover someone or something entirely with; Kill (someone) by covering their nose and mouth so that they suffocate; Extinguish (a fire) by covering it

Synonyms

Suffocate, Stifle, Asphyxiate, Overwhelm, Strangle, Gag

Antonyms

Fan, Ventilate, Foster, Cherish, Nurture, Divulge, Spread, Vent

Mnemonic (Memory Aid): How To Remember?

Imagine someone’s vicious step-mother using a pillow to kill her step-children, as shown in the gif below. So, “S-mother” should remind you of a vicious “Step-mother” who wants to suffocate her step-children. Remember thus!

For more words, click here!

Subscribe to the blog for whetting your vocabulary and communication skills!

Comment | Like | Share