smother

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Thick layers of dust smother giant grinding and pressing machines, while only a tiny crew of workers transfer the last batch made three weeks ago off snaking assembly lines and into trucks.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Retreating to a personal Walden, he suggests, may smother creativity rather than fuel it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Rising land prices smother our ability to move, suppress fertility rates, stifle innovation, and hoover up resources that might be deployed elsewhere.

From Slate • Nov. 4, 2025

Aster’s modus operandi, holding strong following his first three features, is to smother the viewer, piling on so many narrative threads that it becomes difficult to claw free for a broader perspective.

From Salon • Jul. 20, 2025

He felt that black shapes were advancing to smother him; but when he sat up he saw nothing but the back of Strider sitting hunched up, smoking his pipe, and watching.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien