variants
or smoulder
smoldered or smouldered; smoldering or smouldering
ˈsmōl-d(ə-)riŋ 
1
a
: to burn sluggishly, without flame, and often with much smoke
b
: to be consumed by smoldering
—often used with out
2
: to exist in a state of suppressed activity
hostilities smoldered for years
3
: to show suppressed anger, hate, or jealousy
eyes smoldering with hate
Examples of smolder in a Sentence
The remains of the campfire smoldered.
Her eyes smoldered with anger.
Anger smoldered in my heart.
Recent Examples on the Web
The fire is creeping and smoldering along a two-mile stretch of public land in Colorado, and firefighters may be helped by cooler weather and isolated showers Friday and Saturday.
—
Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
Minimal overnight activity is anticipated – mostly smoldering and creeping in brush and timber understory with low if any flame lengths and slow rates of spread.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2025
All of this incendiary messaging is assisted by generative-AI images of postapocalyptic, smoldering city streets—pure propaganda to fill the gap between reality and the world as the MAGA faithful wish to see it.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
Marisol Ramos walked up to the smoldering rubble and wailed.
—Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
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Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 18 July 2025
Minimal overnight activity is anticipated – mostly smoldering and creeping in brush and timber understory with low if any flame lengths and slow rates of spread.
—Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 18 July 2025
All of this incendiary messaging is assisted by generative-AI images of postapocalyptic, smoldering city streets—pure propaganda to fill the gap between reality and the world as the MAGA faithful wish to see it.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 June 2025
Marisol Ramos walked up to the smoldering rubble and wailed.
—Sacbee.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for smolder
Cite this Entry
“Smolder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smolder. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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