Meanings
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of smother
plural smotherings
- countableuncountableThe act by which someone or something is smothered.
I do hope there will be no oniony and tobaccoey smotherings in the form of embracings all round, going on in the streets.
1859, Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities1 more example
When he came to, he begged me not to tell the hotel management, as his last two attempted smotherings had ended in failure and he was worried about losing his job.
2010, Harry Hill, Livin' the Dreem: A Year in My Life, page 397
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecausing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishsmorþering
- Middle Englishsmorþering
- Englishsmothering
Inherited from Middle English smorþering.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
smothering. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smothering
“smothering.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smothering. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “smothering,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/smothering.
Source: smothering on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.