Illustration of tobacco
- tobacco 1
tobacco
noun
to·bac·co
tə-ˈba-(ˌ)kō 
plural tobaccos
1
: any of a genus (Nicotiana) of chiefly American plants of the nightshade family with viscid foliage and tubular flowers
especially
: a tall erect annual tropical American herb (N. tabacum) cultivated for its leaves
2
: the leaves of cultivated tobacco prepared for use in smoking or chewing or as snuff
3
: manufactured products of tobacco (such as cigars or cigarettes)
also
: smoking as a practice
has sworn off tobacco
4
: a moderate brown
Examples of tobacco in a Sentence
a farm that grows tobacco
a state tax on tobacco
Recent Examples on the Web
In the 1990s, tobacco companies were forced to pay billions of dollars for misleading the public about the safety and potential harms of their products, and subsequently saw their power and influence dwindle dramatically.
—
Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 4 May 2026
State governments have invoked public nuisance law in recent decades to pursue a broader range of industries, including litigation tied to tobacco, opioids, climate change, and vaping, said Adam Zimmerman, a professor at USC’s Gould School of Law.
—Diana Novak Jones, USA Today, 4 May 2026
It was meant to be a nicotine-delivery device that was an alternative to traditional, tobacco cigarettes.
—Mikkael Sekeres, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
In fact, getting tobacco to shrink its chloroplasts was surprisingly difficult.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tobacco
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Jonathan Vanian, CNBC, 4 May 2026
State governments have invoked public nuisance law in recent decades to pursue a broader range of industries, including litigation tied to tobacco, opioids, climate change, and vaping, said Adam Zimmerman, a professor at USC’s Gould School of Law.
—Diana Novak Jones, USA Today, 4 May 2026
It was meant to be a nicotine-delivery device that was an alternative to traditional, tobacco cigarettes.
—Mikkael Sekeres, Washington Post, 4 May 2026
In fact, getting tobacco to shrink its chloroplasts was surprisingly difficult.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tobacco
Cite this Entry
“Tobacco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tobacco. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tobacco
noun
to·bac·co
tə-ˈbak-ō
plural tobaccos
1
: any of a genus of chiefly American plants of the nightshade family that have sticky leaves and tube-shaped flowers
especially
: a tall upright tropical American herb with pink or white flowers that is grown for its leaves
2
: the leaves of cultivated tobacco prepared for use in smoking or chewing or as snuff
Medical Definition
tobacco
noun
to·bac·co
tə-ˈbak-(ˌ)ō
plural tobaccos
1
: any plant of the genus Nicotiana
especially
: an annual South American herb (N. tabacum) cultivated for its leaves
2
: the leaves of cultivated tobacco prepared for use in smoking or chewing or as snuff
3
: manufactured products of tobacco
also
: the use of tobacco as a practice
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