: 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
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
Why? Go inside the long-running, sophisticated and surprisingly widespread scheme to cheat on smog tests the feds just cracked down on.
—
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Combined with separate Environmental Protection Agency rules restricting other pollutants from heavy trucks, the slate of rules — for model years 2027 through 2032 — are meant to address both carbon emissions that drive climate change and the soot and smog that directly harms human health.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The greenhouse gas rating is a 7 and the smog rating is a 7; both out of 10.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
Judith Vale, New York’s deputy solicitor general, said as much as 65% of some states' smog pollution comes from out of state.
—Matthew Daly, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
California Video shows deputies repeatedly punching man in headlock during violent arrest in East L.A.
Nov. 21, 2023
Jesse Vega, a local car enthusiast and smog technician who took the video, happened to be filming Alonso’s vehicle — a 1964 Chevrolet Impala — at the time.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
But thick smog returned to Beijing last year, where citizens experienced a 14% increase in the annual average PM2.5 concentration, according to the IQAir report.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
On Friday, tourism hot spot Chiang Mai was the world’s most polluted city as toxic smog brought by seasonal agricultural burning blanketed the northern city.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
Seemingly out of nowhere, a fairy god-producer appeared in a sparkling cloud of smog.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024
Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Combined with separate Environmental Protection Agency rules restricting other pollutants from heavy trucks, the slate of rules — for model years 2027 through 2032 — are meant to address both carbon emissions that drive climate change and the soot and smog that directly harms human health.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
The greenhouse gas rating is a 7 and the smog rating is a 7; both out of 10.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024
Judith Vale, New York’s deputy solicitor general, said as much as 65% of some states' smog pollution comes from out of state.
—Matthew Daly, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024
California Video shows deputies repeatedly punching man in headlock during violent arrest in East L.A.
Nov. 21, 2023
Jesse Vega, a local car enthusiast and smog technician who took the video, happened to be filming Alonso’s vehicle — a 1964 Chevrolet Impala — at the time.
—Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2024
But thick smog returned to Beijing last year, where citizens experienced a 14% increase in the annual average PM2.5 concentration, according to the IQAir report.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
On Friday, tourism hot spot Chiang Mai was the world’s most polluted city as toxic smog brought by seasonal agricultural burning blanketed the northern city.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024
Seemingly out of nowhere, a fairy god-producer appeared in a sparkling cloud of smog.
—EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smog.' 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 smog
Cite this Entry
“Smog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smog. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
smog
noun
ˈsmäg 
also ˈsmȯg
: a thick haze caused by the action of sunlight on air polluted especially by smoke and automobile exhaust fumes
Etymology
from smoke and fog
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