variants
or smoulder
1
as in to anger
to be excited or emotionally stirred up with anger
She smoldered when first learning of her son's misbehavior at school, but had calmed down by the time he arrived home.
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2
as in to blaze
to be on fire usually with smoke but few flames
They look forward to those long summer nights telling stories beside a smoldering campfire.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of smolder
In the San Gabriel Canyon, high winds reignited the smoldering Bridge fire, prompting the closure of San Gabriel Canyon Road, according to CalFire.
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Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Then a smoldering intern, Harris Dickinson’s Samuel, creeps into her life.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
Residents gathered outside the building shivered in the cold, despite the still smoldering fire.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
Investigators after a lengthy probe ruled out arson and determined the fire was probably caused by an accident, either an electrical fault or sparked by a smoldering cigarette left by a workman.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smolder 
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2024
Then a smoldering intern, Harris Dickinson’s Samuel, creeps into her life.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 Dec. 2024
Residents gathered outside the building shivered in the cold, despite the still smoldering fire.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 3 Dec. 2024
Investigators after a lengthy probe ruled out arson and determined the fire was probably caused by an accident, either an electrical fault or sparked by a smoldering cigarette left by a workman.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 30 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for smolder
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smolder
Verb
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Around 10 individuals ran onto the court waving Palestinian flags, angering hundreds of attendees from the French Jewish community cheering for the Israeli team.Bradford Betz, Fox News, 19 Dec. 2024
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Donald Trump's idea of abolishing the debt limit is foundering on Capitol Hill as Democrats line up against it and Republicans uncomfortably try to shoot it down without angering the president-elect.Andrew Solender, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Sherwood’s revenge game A right-handed forward with blazing speed and a rocket of a shot scoring multiple goals in an Avs/Canucks matchup?Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 17 Dec. 2024
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Meanwhile, there are two meteor showers to close out the year; the Geminids will be seen blazing in the night sky until the shower’s finality on December 21, while the Ursids will peak December 21-22, according to the American Meteor Society.Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Powerful storms could fuel travel chaos this week as heavy rains are forecast for the West Coast while in the Central and Eastern states brutal cold and precipitation could snarl traffic but provide smiles for millions dreaming of a white Christmas.John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2024
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The harsh winds ripped traffic signal lights off of their support poles, blew down a lamp post in the Scotts Valley Target parking lot and knocked over electrical power poles, cutting off power and snarling traffic throughout the afternoon.Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The pair, who met as college undergrads, both burned with idealism and recognized their privilege could be leveraged for a game-changing idea.Carole Horst, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
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The Ellen MacArthur Foundation promotes circular fashion and says that, in the United States, an amount of clothing equal to a garbage truck is ferried to landfills or burned every second.Neeti Mehra, Treehugger, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
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Swiss National Bank Switzerland’s central bank has been steaming ahead with its rate cuts, last week surpassing expectations with a bumper 50-basis-point reduction, taking its main rate to 0.5%.Dylan Butts,Karen Gilchrist, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024
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Consume broccoli raw, steamed, or lightly cooked to preserve its nutrients.Cathy Nelson, Verywell Health, 18 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Sign up for our free Book Pages newsletter about bestsellers, authors and more Readers may remember the title character as a warrior woman with flaming red hair wearing a bikini made from armor.Diya Chacko, Orange County Register, 19 Nov. 2024
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The cathedral also has new furniture, including a new altar to replace one crushed when the flaming spire collapsed.John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Rodgers snapped the ball and immediately threw it up for Adams, perfectly placed for the receiver to haul it in and drag his feet for a 1-yard touchdown, the 100th of his career.Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024
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Investigators also discovered Rod had snapped pictures of Morgan's cellphone showing text messages between her and another man.Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 14 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Illuminated by more than two million lights, this beloved Cincinnati tradition features larger-than-life Christmas trees, glowing snowflakes, dancing candy canes, tunnels of light and more.Jordan Kellogg, The Enquirer, 21 Dec. 2024
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Twin lobes of super-hot gas, glowing blue in this image, stretch outward from the central star.Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near smolder
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smolder. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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