smog

noun

ˈsmäg How to pronounce smog (audio)
ˈsmȯg
: 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
smogless
ˈsmä-gləs How to pronounce smog (audio)
ˈsmȯ-
adjective

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the most enlightening part of the book was its recounting of California’s uphill struggle to get the rest of America to care about smog. Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024 Aurangzeb said during a news conference, as a thick blanket of smog enveloped the city. Reuters, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2024 Many in Los Angeles, including Ueberroth and the Games organizers, had worried the Olympics would be marred by the area’s usual summertime ailments: traffic, smog and heat. Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 21 July 2024 The smog Wednesday will result from the final remnants of a high-pressure system that has smothered California for the last week and will bring back the heat and form a low ceiling on the top of the atmosphere, forecasters said. Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for smog 

Word History

Etymology

smoke + fog

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smog was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near smog

Cite this Entry

“Smog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smog. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

smog

noun
ˈsmäg How to pronounce smog (audio)
 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

Medical Definition

smog

noun
ˈsmäg also ˈsmȯg
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on smog

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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