smoke
Americannoun
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the visible vapor and gases given off by a burning or smoldering substance, especially the gray, brown, or blackish mixture of gases and suspended carbon particles resulting from the combustion of wood, peat, coal, or other organic matter.
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something resembling this, as vapor or mist, flying particles, etc.
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something unsubstantial, evanescent, or without result.
Their hopes and dreams proved to be smoke.
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an obscuring condition.
the smoke of controversy.
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an act or spell of smoking something, especially tobacco.
They had a smoke during the intermission.
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something for smoking, as a cigar or cigarette.
This is the best smoke on the market.
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Slang. marijuana.
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Slang. a homemade drink consisting of denatured alcohol and water.
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Physics, Chemistry. a system of solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium.
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a bluish or brownish gray color.
verb (used without object)
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to give off or emit smoke, as in burning.
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to give out smoke offensively or improperly, as a stove.
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to send forth steam or vapor, dust, or the like.
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to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of tobacco or the like, as from a pipe or cigarette.
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Slang. to ride or travel with great speed.
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Australian.
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to flee.
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to abscond.
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verb (used with object)
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to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of.
to smoke tobacco.
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to use (a pipe, cigarette, etc.) in this process.
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to expose to smoke.
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to fumigate (rooms, furniture, etc.).
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to cure (meat, fish, etc.) by exposure to smoke.
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to color or darken by smoke.
verb phrase
idioms
noun
noun
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the product of combustion, consisting of fine particles of carbon carried by hot gases and air
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any cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
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the act of smoking tobacco or other substances, esp in a pipe or as a cigarette or cigar
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the duration of smoking such substances
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informal
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a cigarette or cigar
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a substance for smoking, such as pipe tobacco or marijuana
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something with no concrete or lasting substance
everything turned to smoke
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a thing or condition that obscures
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any of various colours similar to that of smoke, esp a dark grey with a bluish, yellowish, or greenish tinge
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to come to nothing
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to burn up vigorously
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to flare up in anger
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verb
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(intr) to emit smoke or the like, sometimes excessively or in the wrong place
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to draw in on (a burning cigarette, etc) and exhale the smoke
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to use tobacco for smoking
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slang (intr) to use marijuana for smoking
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(tr) to bring (oneself) into a specified state by smoking
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(tr) to subject or expose to smoke
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(tr) to cure (meat, fish, cheese, etc) by treating with smoke
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(tr) to fumigate or purify the air of (rooms, etc)
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(tr) to darken (glass, etc) by exposure to smoke
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slang (intr) to move, drive, ride, etc, very fast
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obsolete (tr) to tease or mock
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archaic (tr) to suspect or detect
Other Word Forms
- antismoke adjective
- smokable adjective
- smokelike adjective
- unsmoked adjective
- unsmoking adjective
Etymology
Origin of smoke
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English smoca; (v.) Middle English smoken, Old English smocian
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sam's daddy looked so unhappy that Sam reached over and stroked his arm to let him know that he loved him, even if he did smoke a pipe.
From Literature
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Purple and blue smoke billowed up from the chimney all day and all evening.
From Literature
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Once it sniffed, sending a tiny puff of smoke out of its nostrils.
From Literature
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I dream of lizards, dark skies, sand dunes and sunsets streaked in rose-mauve and smoky violet, the air heavy with the scent of wet creosote and campfire smoke.
From Los Angeles Times
Sure, at college some of the fellows walked around with pipes they never smoked and books they never read to impress girls or what have you.
From Literature
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.