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.
something resembling this, as vapor or mist, flying particles, etc.
something unsubstantial, evanescent, or without result.
Their hopes and dreams proved to be smoke.
an obscuring condition.
the smoke of controversy.
an act or spell of smoking something, especially tobacco.
They had a smoke during the intermission.
something for smoking, as a cigar or cigarette.
This is the best smoke on the market.
Slang. marijuana.
Slang. a homemade drink consisting of denatured alcohol and water.
Physics, Chemistry. a system of solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium.
a bluish or brownish gray color.
to give off or emit smoke, as in burning.
to give out smoke offensively or improperly, as a stove.
to send forth steam or vapor, dust, or the like.
to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of tobacco or the like, as from a pipe or cigarette.
Slang. to ride or travel with great speed.
Australian.
to flee.
to abscond.
to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of.
to smoke tobacco.
to use (a pipe, cigarette, etc.) in this process.
to expose to smoke.
to fumigate (rooms, furniture, etc.).
to cure (meat, fish, etc.) by exposure to smoke.
to color or darken by smoke.
the product of combustion, consisting of fine particles of carbon carried by hot gases and air
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
informal
a cigarette or cigar
a substance for smoking, such as pipe tobacco or marijuana
something with no concrete or lasting substance
everything turned to smoke
a thing or condition that obscures
any of various colours similar to that of smoke, esp a dark grey with a bluish, yellowish, or greenish tinge
to come to nothing
to burn up vigorously
to flare up in anger
(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
slang (intr) to use marijuana for smoking
(tr) to bring (oneself) into a specified state by smoking
(tr) to subject or expose to smoke
(tr) to cure (meat, fish, cheese, etc) by treating with smoke
(tr) to fumigate or purify the air of (rooms, etc)
(tr) to darken (glass, etc) by exposure to smoke
slang (intr) to move, drive, ride, etc, very fast
obsolete (tr) to tease or mock
archaic (tr) to suspect or detect
before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English smoca; (v.) Middle English smoken, Old English smocian
The hazy gray cloud that floats in the air when something burns is smoke. Smoke is made up of tiny carbon particles. If you get lost in the woods, you can use the smoke from your campfire to guide you back to your tent — or you can just use the GPS on your smartphone. The saying "where there's smoke there's fire” means that there's always a reason for a rumor. The saying is literally true as well—when you set something on fire, it will begin to smoke. When something "goes up in smoke," it's either destroyed by fire or ruined as though it's been burned: "My dreams of being a magician went up in smoke after that rabbit trick went awry."
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The brick wall of the house, in a quiet cul-de-sac of detached homes, was caved in near the front door with smoke marks visible to the upper floor.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Brown was also said to have ripped out smoke alarms.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Videos on social media of the Kryvyi Rig incident showed rescuers rushing to help the wounded on the street outside, as smoke poured out of the building.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
After the smoke subsided, residents reported feeling effects from the stench of rotting meat and food from the warehouse interior, where it had been stored frozen on tall racks that were hundreds of feet across.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ahead, smoke curled into the heavy grey sky.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Smoke particles scattered even more of the remaining blue wavelengths, intensifying the golden tones in the visible light surrounding the eclipsed Sun.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
Smoke swallows civilization while sparks fall around the baroque column of the Fuente de los Luceros.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
Smoke still hangs in the air, although it is easier to breathe than the previous evening, when the acrid smell of fire spread across Bordeaux.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
Smoke from the fire has been visible on the mainland and crews from across England's south coast have been to the island to assist with the operation.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Smoke from the burning muna plant filled the wasi during these quiet moments.
From "The Ugly One" by Leanne Statland Ellis
And in a month, guess what, it’s there, and you’re gonna be like, ‘Holy smokes, I have it.’
From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026
Sander does not romanticize, valorize or flatter them: The even lighting comes from an overcast sky; they are dressed in dark suits and hats, one smokes a cigarette, and each sports a cane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
In 2013, the Scottish government set a target of achieving a "tobacco-free" Scotland by 2034 in which no more than 5% of the population smokes,
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026
One of L.A.’s pollution chiefs warned that “anyone who smokes a pipe, even, contributes to the smog menace.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
‘I went round there in person. Her name’s Claudette. She smokes Charisma cigarettes.’
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
Near a petrol station draped in anti-drone netting, an employee casually smoked a cigarette, waiting for the alert to be over.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The study also found that women under 50 who have never smoked develop lung cancer more often than men in the same age group.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026
Over the past several months, I’ve cooked, grilled, smoked, sipped and served my way through a wide range of products perfect for summer gatherings.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
When the author was diagnosed with throat cancer despite having never smoked, he wasn’t surprised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
As his body was lowered, the rebels on the quays who smoked and watched applauded.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
A recent strike on one of its warehouses—among the largest such facilities in Russia—left behind a smoking husk roughly the size of New York City’s Grand Central Terminal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Most of the modifiable factors examined, including smoking, cardiovascular disease, high blood lipids and high blood pressure, were associated with damage to blood vessels in the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
The ASA's rules on socially responsible marketing say smoking should not be presented in an appealing way, condoned or encouraged.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Backed up by around a dozen volunteers, a small team of firefighters water-lanced the last patches of smoking earth nearby.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
His kippah was smoking, his jacket was singed, and his hands were blistered.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
