smoke

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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
6
a(1)
: something (such as a cigarette) to smoke
b
: an act of smoking tobacco
especially : a smoking break
7
a
: 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 smokeTony Conigliaro
smokeless adjective
smokelike adjective

smoke

2 of 2

verb

smoked; smoking; smokes

intransitive verb

1
a
: 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

1
a
b
: to drive (something, such as mosquitoes) away by smoke
c
: to blacken or discolor with smoke
smoked glasses
d
: to cure or flavor by exposure to smoke
smoked ham
They smoked a rack of ribs.
… offers, among other things, a flavorful sirloin steak and barbecued smoked chicken.Andy Birsh
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

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
Last year, wildfires in Canada affected Wisconsin due to heavy smoke drifting to the United States. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 The pungent black smoke from his exhaust pipe gave him headaches. Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 There appeared to be no problems with air quality aside from the smoke drifting from the fire, Duncan said. arkansasonline.com, 6 Mar. 2024 The county's emergency management tested the air quality Monday night, with nothing hazardous, and just smoke, detected just before midnight, Hackel said. Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2024 Students were seen coughing and covering their faces from the smoke, the district attorney said. Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 This makes sense for a unit operating behind enemy lines as the lack of firing signature (no blast, flash or smoke) means that the source of a Lancet cannot be traced, and they can be launched from miles away. David Hambling, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The next part of the footage shows the deputy several hundred feet away from the scene as smoke billows into the sky. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 With 16 passengers on board, the plane’s pilot reported that there was smoke filling the cockpit and rerouted to Van Nuys Airport, according to ABC 7. Once safely grounded, Karol G and the other passengers on her jet embraced one another after exiting onto the tarmac. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
Her neighbor, who used marijuana for medicinal purposes, was ordered to stop smoking. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 In response, the soldiers tried to smoke Booth out by setting fire to the barn. Vanessa Armstrong, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Heat a wok or large skillet over medium until lightly smoking; add oil, and swirl to coat. Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Its Otto burger has melty raclette cheese, thick-cut bacon, smoked tomato aioli, and red onion jam. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 7 Mar. 2024 Velasquez, a member of the Brown Nation gang, was at a party with Dog Patch gang member Torres and two other men who had been smoking methamphetamine. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Of course, Isaac picked Okamoto’s, which contained chicken four ways: fried, Buffalo, smoked, and with some kind of white sauce. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 The study is among the largest to show a connection between marijuana use and cardiovascular health in people who don’t also smoke tobacco, said lead researcher Abra Jeffers, a data scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Akshay Syal, M.d., NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 But when Allen started smoking tobacco at 13, my sister would no longer allow him around her son, even though her husband smoked. Jeanne Phillips, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'smoke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English smoca; akin to Old English smēocan to emit smoke, Middle High German smouch smoke, and probably to Greek smychein to smolder

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of smoke was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near smoke

Cite this Entry

“Smoke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smoke. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

smoke

1 of 2 noun
1
: the gas of burning materials (as coal, wood, or tobacco) made visible by small particles of carbon floating in it
2
: a mass or column of smoke
3
: something that has little substance or value or that doesn't last very long
4
: something that hides
5
a
: something to smoke (as a cigarette)
b
: an act of smoking tobacco
smokelike adjective

smoke

2 of 2 verb
smoked; smoking
1
a
: to give off or exhale smoke
b
: to give off too much smoke
2
a
: to inhale and exhale the fumes of burning plant material and especially tobacco
b
: to use in smoking
smoke a pipe
3
a
: to drive away by smoke
b
: to blacken or discolor with smoke
c
: to use smoke to give (as meat or cheese) flavor and keep from spoiling
smoker noun

Medical Definition

smoke

verb
smoked; smoking

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to inhale and exhale the smoke of
smoked 30 cigarettes a day

More from Merriam-Webster on smoke

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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