haze

noun

\ˈhāz

Definition of haze

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : fine dust, smoke, or light vapor causing lack of transparency of the air

b : a cloudy appearance in a transparent liquid or solid also : a dullness of finish (as on furniture)

2 : something suggesting atmospheric haze especially : vagueness of mind or mental perception

haze

verb (1)

hazed; hazing

Definition of haze (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

: to make hazy, dull, or cloudy

intransitive verb

: to become hazy or cloudy

haze

verb (2)

hazed; hazing

Definition of haze (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1a : to harass by exacting unnecessary or disagreeable work

b : to harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism

2 : to haze by way of initiation haze the fraternity pledges

3 Western US : to drive (animals, such as cattle or horses) from horseback

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Examples of haze in a Sentence

Noun

The bar was filled with a smoky haze. She stumbled around in a drug-induced haze.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Eve’s hunch is validated when the victim’s girlfriend, through a haze of drugs and trauma, describes the assassin, in colloquial Polish, as flat chested. — David Kamp, WSJ, "Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a Powerhouse on the Rise," 5 Nov. 2018 Even in the haze of that night, though, Rock never stopped working. — Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Story Behind Ziggy’s, London’s New David Bowie–Themed Bar," 24 Sep. 2018 The winds that cleared much of that haze Thursday and Friday were fleeting. — Matt Day, The Seattle Times, "Seattle’s smoke is clearing. Now it’s up to rain and wind to finish the job," 27 Aug. 2018 The evenness of that haze—and ultimately the efficacy of the Ultra-Ever Dry coating—is dependent on the application process. — Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, "The Internet-demanded, partially scientific testing of Ultra-Ever Dry (in HD!)," 4 July 2018 Tankers appear out of the haze to suck up the crude oil and refined fuels that, these days, mostly power Asian economies. — The Economist, "Breaking the curseWhy Gulf economies struggle to wean themselves off oil," 21 June 2018 Weinstein, after the initial reporting about him was published in October, has operated in a kind of haze. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "The Facts and Fictions of Harvey Weinstein’s Arrest," 25 May 2018 All of these products use an abrasive such as sandpaper to scuff away the outer layer of haze. — Michael Austin, Popular Mechanics, "How to Make Your Headlights Shine Like New," 1 Dec. 2017 Even the stars had been blanked out by the haze until then. — Vanessa Hua, SFChronicle.com, "Stargazing summer," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The legislation makes the most severe forms of hazing a felony, requires schools to maintain policies to combat hazing and allows confiscation of frat houses where hazing has occurred. — Mark Scolforo, The Seattle Times, "Anti-hazing law in Penn St. student’s name goes to governor," 15 Oct. 2018 At a prep school in the Midwest about 15 years ago, a freshman on the school’s football team was introduced to a disturbing locker room hazing ritual. — Adam Howard, Vox, "I’ve spent decades studying elite schools. Here’s how their culture enables toxic masculinity.," 27 Sep. 2018 The patrol team wants to ensure that its efforts to discourage bears from the village neither aid nor interfere with the work of subsistence hunters, who don’t want to see the bears hazed out of the region entirely. — Eva Holland, Smithsonian, "Where the Doomed, Beloved Polar Bear Is Still a Dangerous Predator," 16 May 2018 Pennsylvania, like Louisiana, is expected to soon pass an anti-hazing law that would make death by hazing a felony. — Kyle Spencer, New York Times, "Colleges and State Laws Are Clamping Down on Fraternities," 5 June 2018 David Bianchi, the Coffeys' attorney who helped pass a Florida law in 2005 that made hazing a felony, also blocks defendants from claiming the victim went along willingly. — CBS News, "Andrew Coffey's family calls for "accountability and education" after alleged FSU hazing death," 13 Mar. 2018 Stephen and Rae Ann Gruver appeared on Dateline NBC Sunday (June 3) alongside other parents of hazing victims to call on universities, fraternities and policymakers to take action to protect kids. — Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, NOLA.com, "Maxwell Gruver's parents appear on 'Dateline' college hazing report," 4 June 2018 The parents came together to form Parents United to Stop Hazing, or PUSH, an advocacy group that seeks change from universities, national fraternities and lawmakers to stop hazing deaths. — Wilborn P. Nobles Iii, NOLA.com, "Maxwell Gruver's parents appear on 'Dateline' college hazing report," 4 June 2018 Tess ends up at a fancy Manhattan restaurant as a backwaitress and meets an incredibly diverse waitstaff with a colorful list of characters that like to party late and haze the newbies. — Krystyna Chávez, Marie Claire, "Watch An Exclusive Clip From the Upcoming 'Sweetbitter' Episode," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'haze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.