Smother in is used for being covered by something. Smother by is uncommon as an active pattern, but smothered by is natural in passive clauses.
Use smother in when someone or something is covered with a substance or quantity. Use smothered by in passive structures to show the cause or agent.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
In introduces the thing covering the surface.
By introduces the thing causing the effect.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Active smother usually takes a direct object, often with with rather than by.
✕ She smothered the toast by jam. ✓ She smothered the toast with jam.In focuses on covering material, while by focuses on the cause or agent in passive use.
✕ The valley was smothered in smoke from the factory. ✓ The valley was smothered by smoke from the factory.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Usually, but it can also be figurative, as in smothered in praise.
Yes. Smother with is very common in active clauses.
It means receiving more attention than wanted.
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