smoke

noun

\ ˈsmōk

Definition of smoke

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the gaseous products of burning materials especially of organic origin made visible by the presence of small particles of carbon

b : a suspension of particles in a gas

2a : a mass or column of smoke

b : smudge

3 : fume or vapor often resulting from the action of heat on moisture

4 : something of little substance, permanence, or value

5 : something that obscures

6a(1) : something (such as a cigarette) to smoke

(2) : marijuana sense 2

b : an act of smoking tobacco especially : a smoking break

7a : a pale blue

b : any of the colors of smoke

8 : pitches that are fastballs if a guy's going to hit you … he certainly isn't going to throw a spitter—he gives you smoke— Tony Conigliaro

smoke

verb

smoked; smoking

Definition of smoke (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to emit or exhale smoke

b : to emit excessive smoke

2 archaic : to undergo punishment : suffer

3 : to spread or rise like smoke

4 : to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning plant material and especially tobacco especially : to smoke tobacco habitually

transitive verb

1a : fumigate

b : to drive (something, such as mosquitoes) away by smoke

c : to blacken or discolor with smoke smoked glasses

d : to cure by exposure to smoke smoked ham

e : to stupefy (insects, such as bees) by smoke

2 archaic : suspect

3 : to inhale and exhale the smoke of smoke a cigarette

4 archaic : ridicule

5 slang : kill sense 1a

6 slang : to defeat or surpass decisively

7 : to hit (something, such as a baseball) with great force

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Examples of smoke in a Sentence

Noun

Smoke from the campfire stung my eyes. We could see black smoke from the house fire. Can I bum a few smokes off you?

Verb

I caught her smoking a cigarette. He was thrown out of school for smoking marijuana. She smokes and drinks, but I don't. Do you mind if I smoke in here? That old car smokes when you start it up. the smoking remains of a fire We smoke our hams over hickory.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The gloriously gaudy cinema palaces of our youth have closed their crimson curtains for good, and the humid fug of cigarette smoke and popcorn has been replaced by a dispiritingly acrid, all-over guilty smell. — John Banville, WSJ, "‘Sleeping With Strangers’ Review: Flickers of Desire," 22 Feb. 2019 That means some smoke and a funky burning smell are inevitable. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean an Oven Quickly and Painlessly," 18 Dec. 2018 In the video, two separate fireworks displays can be seen in the background, bursting behind a curtain of smoke. — Julia Sclafani, sacbee, "Fireworks — legal and illegal — spark dozens of July 4 fire incidents in Sacramento," 5 July 2018 The smoke opens the pores and cleanses and perfumes their bodies. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 The slightly acidic smoke produced by lighting up their most popular products, cigarettes, already contains nicotine salts. — Rachel Becker, The Verge, "Juul’s nicotine salts are dominating the market — and other companies want in," 21 Nov. 2018 Still, the residual smoke that lingers in the air this week somehow seems even more stifling. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "For Those Grappling With California Wildfires, Dangerous Air Quality Is a New Risk," 16 Nov. 2018 Video posted to social media shows fires blazing with smoke billowing toward the sky amid a heavy police presence. — Nicole Darrah, Fox News, "Wisconsin gas explosion levels Main Street buildings; firefighters, police officer reported injured," 2 Oct. 2018 And smoke is more than a pollutant; it’s unburned fuel. — Roy Berendson, Popular Mechanics, "The Ultimate Guide To Cutting and Splitting Firewood," 28 Sep. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Studies have found that loneliness is worse for health than obesity or inactivity, and is as lethal as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. — Christopher Mims, WSJ, "On-Demand Grandkids and Robot Pals to Keep Senior Loneliness at Bay," 23 Feb. 2019 From her smoking party outfit to her raunchy cake, here are the highlights of the reality star and Poosh founder's big night. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Everything to Know About Kourtney Kardashian's 40th Birthday Party," 19 Apr. 2019 As a twentysomething young man, Johnson had a wild streak, chain-smoking cigarettes in his tent. — Matt Skenazy, Outside Online, "The Last Days of Marc-André Leclerc," 19 June 2018 That includes allowing or giving it to children to ingest or smoke. — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, "Parents face charge after giving teen marijuana to treat alleged seizures," 2 Oct. 2018 For her Toy Fair debut, Barbie wore her best zebra-striped swimsuit while Handler chain-smoked and waited for the reviews to come in. — Mattie Kahn, Glamour, "There’s Something About Barbie," 7 Mar. 2019 The flash sheets, taped to the front desk, featured designs by the staff at Armageddon: skulls, black cats, flaming hearts with swords piercing them, spiders, roses, jellyfish, an upside-down bat and a unicorn smoking a cigar. — Zoe Greenberg, New York Times, "Friday the 13th, a ‘Tattoo Holiday’," 13 July 2018 Lung-cancer incidence is declining twice as fast among men as women, which in part reflects the fact that women historically took up smoking in large numbers in later decades and were slower to quit. — Amy Dockser Marcus, WSJ, "Cancer Deaths Decline 27% Over 25 Years," 8 Jan. 2019 An otherwise casual person who wears scrubs to work, Nate looked smoking hot in a suit, complimented my outfit, was gracious to the newlyweds and their family, fetched drinks for my friends, and even spun a grandma around the dance floor. 2. — Anne Roderique-jones, SELF, "15 Lessons I’ve Learned in 15 Years of Marriage," 8 Jan. 2019

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