smog

[ smog, smawg ]
See synonyms for smog on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. smoke or other atmospheric pollutants combined with fog in an unhealthy or irritating mixture.

verb (used with object)
  1. to cover or envelop with or as if with smog.

Origin of smog

1
1900–05; sm(oke) + (f)og1

Other words from smog

  • smogless, adjective
  • de·smog, verb (used with object), de·smogged, de·smog·ging.

Words Nearby smog

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use smog in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smog

smog

/ (smɒɡ) /


noun
  1. a mixture of smoke, fog, and chemical fumes

Origin of smog

1
C20: from sm (oke + f) og 1

Derived forms of smog

  • smoggy, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for smog

smog

[ smŏg ]


  1. A form of air pollution produced by the reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, and other gases primarily released in automobile exhaust. Smog is common in large urban areas, especially during hot, sunny weather, where it appears as a brownish haze that can irritate the eyes and lungs. Ozone, a toxic gas that is not normally produced at lower atmospheric levels, is one of the primary pollutants created in this kind of smog. Also called photochemical smog

  2. Fog that has become polluted with smoke and particulates, especially from burning coal.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for smog

smog

A haze or fog composed of water vapor, complex molecules, and suspended particles.

Notes for smog

In North America, the primary cause of smog is pollution from automobile exhaust.

Notes for smog

The Los Angeles basin, where pollutants can be trapped by inversions and the surrounding mountains, has frequent problems with smog, as do other major urban areas.

Notes for smog

The word smog is a combination of smoke and fog.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.