: any of a genus (Nicotiana) of chiefly American plants of the nightshade family with viscid foliage and tubular flowers
especially: a tall erect annual tropical American herb (N. tabacum) cultivated for its leaves
2
: the leaves of cultivated tobacco prepared for use in smoking or chewing or as snuff
3
: manufactured products of tobacco (such as cigars or cigarettes)
also: smoking as a practice
has sworn off tobacco
4
: a moderate brown
Illustration of tobacco
tobacco 1
Examples of tobacco in a Sentence
a farm that grows tobacco
a state tax on tobacco
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The system works across multiple species, including tobacco, tomatoes, and soybeans, showing higher regeneration rates than many existing techniques.—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 6 Nov. 2025 On his dad’s side, he was descended from Kentucky tobacco farmers and ministers.—Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025 Items not valid for the senior and discount included prescriptions, alcohol, tobacco, phone services, transit passes, postage, Arizona Lottery tickets, event tickets, fuel, gift cards, money orders and Western Union services.—Rey Covarrubias Jr, AZCentral.com, 4 Nov. 2025 In their journal article, Brooks and his coauthors point out that cannabis smoke — which users often inhale more deeply than tobacco smoke, without filtration — contains compounds known to damage DNA and promote inflammation and tumor growth.—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 4 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tobacco
Word History
Etymology
Spanish tabaco, probably from Taino, roll of tobacco leaves
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