soot

noun

\ ˈsu̇t

, ˈsət, ˈsüt

Definition of soot

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a black substance formed by combustion or separated from fuel during combustion, rising in fine particles, and adhering to the sides of the chimney or pipe conveying the smoke especially : the fine powder consisting chiefly of carbon that colors smoke

soot

verb

sooted; sooting; soots

Definition of soot (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to coat or cover with soot

Examples of soot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Human sources include greenhouse gases, air pollution like soot, and changes in land use that release and absorb carbon. — Seth Borenstein, The Seattle Times, "Trump may not know what’s behind warming, but scientists do," 17 Oct. 2018 Charlie, as Nan calls the golem, is made of soot, but he might as well be made of pure love. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Pachyderm Parties and a Hue That’ll Make You Cry," 20 Sep. 2018 The days with an unhealthy number of small pollution particles, often called soot and linked to heart and lung problems and deaths, jumped from 2016 to 2017 in 35 major metropolitan areas. — Hope Yen, The Seattle Times, "Fact-checking President Trump on migrants, Saudis, Hispanic vote," 22 Oct. 2018 The hard work of getting memories back after a blaze Nobody was willing to let history fade away after a blaze last month left the Aberdeen Museum of History’s prints, negatives, film and VHS tapes soaked and covered in soot. — Morning Brief, The Seattle Times, "Aberdeen museum recovers history from a fire, and Seattle is opening more tiny-house villages | Tuesday Morning Brief, July 17," 17 July 2018 Just a week earlier, the ground might have been covered in soot from a prescribed fire. — New York Times, "Setting Fires and Restoring an American Landscape," 23 Apr. 2018 The paintings first started in the 1800s when women in the village painted floral displays to cover up the soot caused by smoky stoves. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "The 25 most colorful cities in the world," 19 Feb. 2019 Geologic and historic evidence indicate that climate change has been happening repeatedly, long before humans were generating measurable levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and soot. — WSJ, "Debating the Carbon Tax Dividend Strategy," 24 Jan. 2019 The ice in Greenland is also getting darker, as soot carried through the air and microorganisms like algae coat the ice. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Greenland’s ice sheet is melting at its fastest rate in centuries," 8 Dec. 2018

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