smoke

[ smohk ]
See synonyms for: smokesmokedsmoking on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.

  2. something resembling this, as vapor or mist, flying particles, etc.

  1. something unsubstantial, evanescent, or without result: Their hopes and dreams proved to be smoke.

  2. an obscuring condition: the smoke of controversy.

  3. an act or spell of smoking something, especially tobacco: They had a smoke during the intermission.

  4. something for smoking, as a cigar or cigarette: This is the best smoke on the market.

  5. Slang. marijuana.

  6. Slang. a homemade drink consisting of denatured alcohol and water.

  7. Physics, Chemistry. a system of solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium.

  8. a bluish or brownish gray color.

verb (used without object),smoked, smok·ing.
  1. to give off or emit smoke, as in burning.

  2. to give out smoke offensively or improperly, as a stove.

  1. to send forth steam or vapor, dust, or the like.

  2. to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of tobacco or the like, as from a pipe or cigarette.

  3. Slang. to ride or travel with great speed.

  4. Australian.

    • to flee.

    • to abscond.

verb (used with object),smoked, smok·ing.
  1. to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of: to smoke tobacco.

  2. to use (a pipe, cigarette, etc.) in this process.

  1. to expose to smoke.

  2. to fumigate (rooms, furniture, etc.).

  3. to cure (meat, fish, etc.) by exposure to smoke.

  4. to color or darken by smoke.

Verb Phrases
  1. smoke out,

    • to drive from a refuge by means of smoke.

    • to force into public view or knowledge; reveal: to smoke out the leaders of the spy ring.

Idioms about smoke

  1. go up / end in smoke, to terminate without producing a result; be unsuccessful: All our dreams went up in smoke.

Origin of smoke

1
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English smoca; (v.) Middle English smoken,Old English smocian

Other words from smoke

  • smokelike, adjective
  • an·ti·smoke, adjective, noun
  • un·smoked, adjective
  • un·smok·ing, adjective

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

How to use smoke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smoke (1 of 2)

smoke

/ (sməʊk) /


noun
  1. the product of combustion, consisting of fine particles of carbon carried by hot gases and air

  2. any cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas

    • the act of smoking tobacco or other substances, esp in a pipe or as a cigarette or cigar

    • the duration of smoking such substances

  1. informal

    • a cigarette or cigar

    • a substance for smoking, such as pipe tobacco or marijuana

  2. something with no concrete or lasting substance: everything turned to smoke

  3. a thing or condition that obscures

  4. any of various colours similar to that of smoke, esp a dark grey with a bluish, yellowish, or greenish tinge

  5. go up in smoke or end up in smoke

    • to come to nothing

    • to burn up vigorously

    • to flare up in anger

verb
  1. (intr) to emit smoke or the like, sometimes excessively or in the wrong place

    • to draw in on (a burning cigarette, etc) and exhale the smoke

    • to use tobacco for smoking

  1. (intr) slang to use marijuana for smoking

  2. (tr) to bring (oneself) into a specified state by smoking

  3. (tr) to subject or expose to smoke

  4. (tr) to cure (meat, fish, cheese, etc) by treating with smoke

  5. (tr) to fumigate or purify the air of (rooms, etc)

  6. (tr) to darken (glass, etc) by exposure to smoke

  7. (intr) slang to move, drive, ride, etc, very fast

  8. (tr) obsolete to tease or mock

  9. (tr) archaic to suspect or detect

Origin of smoke

1
Old English smoca (n); related to Middle Dutch smieken to emit smoke

Derived forms of smoke

  • smokable or smokeable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Smoke (2 of 2)

Smoke

/ (sməʊk) /


noun
  1. the Smoke short for Big Smoke

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 smoke

smoke

[ smōk ]


  1. A mixture of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases, usually containing particles of soot or other solids, produced by the burning of carbon-containing materials such as wood and coal.

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with smoke

smoke

In addition to the idiom beginning with smoke

  • smoke out

also see:

  • chain smoker
  • go up in flames (smoke)
  • holy cow (smoke)
  • no smoke without fire
  • watch one's dust (smoke)

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.