1
a
: 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
hazed; hazing
: to make hazy, dull, or cloudy
: to become hazy or cloudy
hazed; hazing
1
a
: 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
hazer
noun
Synonyms
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
Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
And a foggy haze wafting above the audience is cigarette smoke, with smoking only legal during NBA games before the ’80s.
—Ann Binlot, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Workers who cut and shape those slabs often work in a haze of silica dust, and many are now becoming sick.
—Anna Werner, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024
Despite the haze, is there substantive reason to expect a coaching change?
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
The film opens on the ancient stone-cutter image of an AOL screen, with that dial-up feedback sound, the primitive email, and a video feed (of Bill Clinton) coming into view through a brief haze of pixels.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
Reuniting with producer Sammy Witte (Harry Styles, SZA, Halsey), Hemmings moves through a haze of perspectives marked by different distortions of his own voice.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024
The milky haze prompted the National Weather Service to issue dense fog advisories for many parts of the region.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024
Almost all the guests attended the late-night after-party in the room where the ceremony had taken place, which had been reconfigured with a DJ booth and a dance floor, then lit up with lasers and haze.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
Gwozniac, oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2023
So Owen is scrambling and learning on the job — relying on his wits and a taste for risk — while his more seasoned colleagues are dreaming up ways to haze and undermine him.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2023
Give it a few minutes to haze up, then buff off with terry cloth or microfiber polishing cloths.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
Fired coach: Greg Heiar is out at New Mexico State after the school shut down the program amid hazing accusations.
—David Leonhardt, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
The sororities did not haze.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 26 Jan. 2023
After about 30 minutes, the tile will haze over.
—Sal Vaglica, USA TODAY, 8 May 2022
And learn how to haze a coyote.
—National Geographic, 23 June 2020
But coaches had no intent to harm or haze the student-athletes, the statement added.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2023
Noun
Smoke from last year's wildfire season in Canada drifted across the US from New England to Florida and across the Midwest, creating a haze leading to extremely poor air quality.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024
And a foggy haze wafting above the audience is cigarette smoke, with smoking only legal during NBA games before the ’80s.
—Ann Binlot, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024
Workers who cut and shape those slabs often work in a haze of silica dust, and many are now becoming sick.
—Anna Werner, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2024
Despite the haze, is there substantive reason to expect a coaching change?
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
The film opens on the ancient stone-cutter image of an AOL screen, with that dial-up feedback sound, the primitive email, and a video feed (of Bill Clinton) coming into view through a brief haze of pixels.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Mar. 2024
Reuniting with producer Sammy Witte (Harry Styles, SZA, Halsey), Hemmings moves through a haze of perspectives marked by different distortions of his own voice.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024
The milky haze prompted the National Weather Service to issue dense fog advisories for many parts of the region.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024
Almost all the guests attended the late-night after-party in the room where the ceremony had taken place, which had been reconfigured with a DJ booth and a dance floor, then lit up with lasers and haze.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
In the past, Oregon officials tried to haze or trap and remove sea lions back to the ocean.
—Gwozniac, oregonlive, 8 Apr. 2023
So Owen is scrambling and learning on the job — relying on his wits and a taste for risk — while his more seasoned colleagues are dreaming up ways to haze and undermine him.
—Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2023
Give it a few minutes to haze up, then buff off with terry cloth or microfiber polishing cloths.
—Michael Stillwell, Popular Mechanics, 27 Mar. 2023
Fired coach: Greg Heiar is out at New Mexico State after the school shut down the program amid hazing accusations.
—David Leonhardt, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2023
The sororities did not haze.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 26 Jan. 2023
After about 30 minutes, the tile will haze over.
—Sal Vaglica, USA TODAY, 8 May 2022
And learn how to haze a coyote.
—National Geographic, 23 June 2020
But coaches had no intent to harm or haze the student-athletes, the statement added.
—Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'haze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near haze
Cite this Entry
“Haze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haze. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
haze
2 of 3 verb
hazed; hazing
: to make or become hazy or cloudy
haze
3 of 3 verb
hazed; hazing
: to play unpleasant and humiliating tricks on (as new members of a college fraternity) or force to perform humiliating tasks or stunts
hazer
noun
Etymology
Noun
from hazy
Verb
origin unknown
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