- present participle of smother.
smothering
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.
Lawmakers should not panic, he said, and should handle AI as they have past technologies without smothering American innovation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Ms. Cline inhabits his thoughts in close third-person and though she writes in the past tense, her narration evokes an intimate, sometimes smothering feeling of presentness—of being confined within David’s immediate consciousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
I had to see Fanning in a half-dozen better roles before she felt free of Refn’s smothering gaze.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Some species may have acted as fire ladders, helping flames move through the landscape while also crowding out and smothering other vegetation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The flood of extra nitrogen causes a wild growth of algae, and the algae take up all the oxygen in the water, smothering the fish.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
