cigarette

American  

[sig-uh-ret, sig-uh-ret] / ˌsɪg əˈrɛt, ˈsɪg əˌrɛt /

Or cigaret

noun

1. a cylindrical roll of finely cut tobacco cured for smoking, considerably smaller than most cigars and usually wrapped in thin white paper.

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cigarette British  

/ ˌsɪɡəˈrɛt /

noun

1. Shortened forms: cig.   ciggy.  a short tightly rolled cylinder of tobacco, wrapped in thin paper and often having a filter tip, for smoking

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Other Word Forms

• anticigarette
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of cigarette

1820–30; < French, equivalent to cigare cigar + -ette -ette

Explanation

A small tube of paper that's filled with tobacco and lit with a match is a cigarette. Because cigarettes take a terrible toll on smokers' health, the number of people who smoke them has declined recently. Most cigarettes come in packages, each cigarette a perfect slim cylinder topped with a filter. When a cigarette is smoked all the way to this filter, it becomes a "butt." The main chemical in cigarettes is called nicotine, and it's extremely addictive — other additives in cigarettes can cause various cancers and lung diseases. Because of these dangers, cigarettes are regulated and highly taxed. The word itself comes from the French, meaning "little cigar."

Example Sentences

Federal prosecutors, seeking to imprison Rinderknecht for up to 45 years, say they will call ATF experts to refute that fireworks, a cigarette or power lines started the Palisades fire.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

It contrasts the small “makeshift consolations” of our ephemeral human-scale lives—a shared cigarette, a game of cards—with the grand forces of progress.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

It is also present in cigarette smoke and processed meats.

From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service has also warned "against the use of cigarette materials as a method of attic insulation due to the potential fire risks that it presents".

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

“We are fish in a bowl, dear,” Tsukiko tells her, cigarette holder dangling precariously from her lips.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• smoke