0 past simple and past participle of smoulder
2 If a problem or unpleasant situation smoulders, it continues to exist and may become worse at any time:
The dispute is still smouldering, five years after the negotiations began.
3 If a strong emotion smoulders, it exists, but is prevented from being expressed:
4 A person who smoulders has strong sexual or romantic feelings but does not express them:
I understand that the pyres were active for two weeks, although they would have smouldered for several weeks after this.
But it was a torch which lit fires which have smouldered ever since.
Spin is like a fire that has smouldered under the surface for a long time and which suddenly blazes out.
It said that materials that smouldered should be discarded as soon as possible.
It has just smouldered on for 12 months and it has now reached an area of 200 square miles from that initial outbreak.
It smouldered and caused the fire.
When not in use, the fire in the samovar pipe faintly smouldered.
The fire smouldered and eventually burned through the wall to the school next door.
