Adjacent Words

Smite definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SMITE, v.t. pret. smote; pp. smitten, smil. [This verb is the L. mitto.]
1. To strike; to throw, drive or force against, as the fist or hand, a stone or a weapon; to reach with a blow or a weapon; as, to smite one with the fist; to smite with a rod or with a stone. Whoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5.
2. To kill; to destroy the life of by beating or by weapons of any kind; as, to smite one with the sword, or with an arrow or other engine. David smote Goliath with a sling and a stone. The Philistines were often smitten with great slaughter. [This word, like slay, usually or always signification, that of beating, striking, the primitive mode of killing. We never apply it to the destruction of life by poison, by accident or by legal execution.]
3. To blast; to destroy life; as by a stroke or by something sent. The flax and the barley were smitten. Exodus 9.
4. To afflict; to chasten; to punish. Let us not mistake God's goodness, nor imagine, because he smites us, that we are forsaken by him.
5. To strike or affect with passion. See what the charms that smite the simple heart. Smit with the love of sister arts we came.
TO SMITE WITH THE TONGUE, to reproach or upbraid. Jeremiah 18.
SMITE, v.i. To strike; to collide. The heart melteth and the kness smite together. Nahum 2.
SMITE, n. A blow.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: inflict a heavy blow on, with the hand, a tool, or a weapon
2: affect suddenly with deep feeling; "He was smitten with love for this young girl"
3: cause physical pain or suffering in; "afflict with the plague" [syn: afflict, smite]

Merriam Webster's

verb (smote; smitten or smote; smiting) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English sm?tan to smear, defile; akin to Old High German bism?zan to defile Date: 12th century transitive verb 1. to strike sharply or heavily especially with the hand or an implement held in the hand 2. a. to kill or severely injure by smiting b. to attack or afflict suddenly and injuriously <smitten by disease> 3. to cause to strike 4. to affect as if by striking <children smitten with the fear of hell — V. L. Parrington> 5. captivate, take <smitten with her beauty> intransitive verb to deliver or deal a blow with or as if with the hand or something held • smiter noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. (past smote; past part. smitten) archaic or literary 1 tr. strike or hit. 2 tr. chastise; defeat. 3 tr. (in passive) a have a sudden strong effect on (was smitten by his conscience). b infatuate, fascinate (was smitten by her beauty). 4 intr. (foll. by on, upon) come forcibly or abruptly upon. --n. a blow or stroke. Derivatives: smiter n. Etymology: OE smitan smear f. Gmc

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smite Smite (sm[imac]t), v. t. [imp. Smote (sm[=o]t), rarely Smit (sm[i^]t); p. p. Smitten (sm[i^]t"t'n), rarely Smit, or Smote; p. pr. & vb. n. Smiting (sm[imac]t"[i^]ng).] [AS. sm[=i]tan to smite, to soil, pollute; akin to OFries. sm[=i]ta to smite, LG. smiten, D. smijten, G. schmeissen, OHG. sm[=i]zan to smear, stroke, OSw. & dial. Sw. smita to smite, Dan. smide to throw, Goth. bismeitan, to anoint, besmear; cf. Skr. m[=e]d to be fat. The original sense seems to have been, to daub on, to smear. Cf. Smut.] 1. To strike; to inflict a blow upon with the hand, or with any instrument held in the hand, or with a missile thrown by the hand; as, to smite with the fist, with a rod, sword, spear, or stone. Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. --Matt. v. 39. And David . . . took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead. --1 Sam. xvii. 49. 2. To cause to strike; to use as an instrument in striking or hurling. Prophesy, and smite thine hands together. --Ezek. xxi. 14. Saul . . . smote the javelin into the wall. --1 Sam. xix. 10. 3. To destroy the life of by beating, or by weapons of any kind; to slay by a blow; to kill; as, to smite one with the sword, or with an arrow or other instrument. 4. To put to rout in battle; to overthrow by war. 5. To blast; to destroy the life or vigor of, as by a stroke or by some visitation. The flax and the barly was smitten. --Ex. ix. 31. 6. To afflict; to chasten; to punish. Let us not mistake God's goodness, nor imagine, because he smites us, that we are forsaken by him. --Wake. 7. To strike or affect with passion, as love or fear. The charms that smite the simple heart. --Pope. Smit with the love of sister arts we came. --Pope. To smite off, to cut off. To smite out, to knock out, as a tooth. --Exod. xxi. 27. To smite with the tongue, to reproach or upbraid; to revile. [Obs.] --Jer. xviii. 18.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smite Smite, v. i. To strike; to collide; to beat. [Archaic] The heart melteth, and the knees smite together. --Nah. ii. 10.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Smite Smite, n. The act of smiting; a blow.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(smites, smiting, smote, smitten) To smite something means to hit it hard. (LITERARY) ...the heroic leader charging into battle, sword held high, ready to smite the enemy. VERB: V n see also smitten

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Strike, beat, box, cuff, buffet. 2. Kill, slay, destroy. 3. Afflict, chasten, punish. 4. Blast, destroy. II. v. n. Strike, collide, knock.

Moby Thesaurus

affect, agonize, bang, bash, baste, bastinado, bat, beat, belabor, belt, biff, birch, bonk, buffet, cane, catch, clap, clip, clobber, clout, club, clump, coldcock, come home to, cowhide, crack, crucify, cudgel, cut, dash, deal, deal a blow, deck, ding, drub, excruciate, fetch, fetch a blow, flagellate, flail, flog, fustigate, give a whipping, give the stick, harrow, hit, hit a clip, hit the mark, horsewhip, impress, impress forcibly, jab, knock, knock cold, knock down, knock out, knout, lace, lash, lay on, let have it, make an impression, martyr, paste, pistol-whip, plunk, poke, pommel, pummel, punch, rawhide, rock, scourge, sink in, slam, slog, slosh, slug, smack, snap, soak, sock, spank, strap, strike, strike at, strike hard, strike home, stripe, swat, swinge, swipe, switch, tell, thrash, thump, thwack, torment, torture, traumatize, trounce, truncheon, try, wallop, whack, whale, wham, whip, whop, yerk