smog

noun

\ ˈsmäg

How to pronounce smog (audio)

, ˈsmȯg\

Definition of smog

: a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes also : a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen especially from automobile exhaust

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Examples of smog in a Sentence

the city's smog was once so bad that darkness often prevailed, even at noon

Recent Examples on the Web

Nitrogen oxides contribute to haze and to breathing problems, much like the smog automobiles cause in cities. — Ryan Randazzo, azcentral, "Last coal train rolls to Arizona power plant as closure looms for major polluter," 26 Aug. 2019 São Paulo was shrouded in smog caused by fires raging in the Amazon rainforest 2,700km away. — The Economist, "Politics this week," 22 Aug. 2019 Beyond the café sat the old skyscrapers of Lagos Island, cloaked in smog and harmattan sand. — Sean Williams, Harper's magazine, "The Black Axe," 19 Aug. 2019 The plant had already planned to shut down a unit to comply with federal smog regulations. — Benjamin Storrow, Scientific American, "And Now the Really Big Coal Plants Begin to Close," 16 Aug. 2019 Thermal power generation accounts for 80% of India’s industrial emissions of particulate matter and sulphur and nitrous oxides, which often create toxic smog and cause lung diseases. — Kuwar Singh, Quartz India, "Cleaning up its coal power plants will cost India $10 billion—but who will pay?," 7 Aug. 2019 Many blame the May air pollution emergency in the capital on over-ambitious budget cuts, because the Environmental Ministry lacked the tools and manpower to detect and combat brush fires that carpeted much of the country in heavy smog. — Washington Post, "Mexico cuts budget for all, from athletes to archaeologists," 18 July 2019 The concern is—or at least was—that the combination of sun, heat and the organic compounds released by ethanol blends would result in much more smog. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "An Ethanol Sop to Farmers," 3 June 2019 Sure, smog is bad in the Western Hemisphere’s largest city, where traffic jams can stretch for dozens of miles. — Terrence Mccoy, Washington Post, "Smoke plunges Sao Paulo into sudden darkness, baffling the Western Hemisphere’s largest city," 20 Aug. 2019

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

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Last Updated

8 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for smog

The first known use of smog was in 1881

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More Definitions for smog

smog

noun

English Language Learners Definition of smog

: fog mixed with smoke : a cloud of dirty air from cars, factories, etc., that is usually found in cities

See the full definition for smog in the English Language Learners Dictionary

smog

noun

\ ˈsmäg

\

Kids Definition of smog

: a fog made heavier and thicker by the action of sunlight on polluted air

smog

noun

\ ˈsmäg also ˈsmȯg\

Medical Definition of smog

: a fog made heavier and darker by smoke and chemical fumes also : a photochemical haze caused by the action of solar ultraviolet radiation on atmosphere polluted with hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen especially from automobile exhaust

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