secondhand smoke
noun
: tobacco smoke that is exhaled by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby
Examples of secondhand smoke in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While smoking and secondhand smoke can irritate your respiratory system, alcohol can weaken your immune system, leaving you dehydrated.
—
Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 7 Apr. 2025
For example, marijuana legalization has re-elevated the conversation about secondhand smoke.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Cigarettes kill 1 in 2 users who don’t quit and harm others nearby through secondhand smoke.
—Ailsa R Butler, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
The hazards of secondhand smoke are well documented.
—Niki Kitsantonis, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for secondhand smoke
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Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 7 Apr. 2025
For example, marijuana legalization has re-elevated the conversation about secondhand smoke.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
Cigarettes kill 1 in 2 users who don’t quit and harm others nearby through secondhand smoke.
—Ailsa R Butler, The Conversation, 8 Jan. 2025
The hazards of secondhand smoke are well documented.
—Niki Kitsantonis, New York Times, 28 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for secondhand smoke
Cite this Entry
“Secondhand smoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secondhand%20smoke. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
secondhand smoke
noun
sec·ond·hand smoke
ˌsek-ᵊn(d)-ˌhan(d)- 
: tobacco smoke that is exhaled by a smoker or is given off by burning tobacco (as of a cigarette) and is inhaled by persons nearby
called also passive smoke
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