chain smoker

Idioms  

1. One who smokes continually by lighting a new cigarette from the one being finished, as in Before they forbade smoking, bridge tournaments often attracted players who are chain smokers. [c. 1930]

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Example Sentences

The books, he said, described his brother as a chain smoker, someone who honed his skills in Cairo and reported from Vietnam — none of which is true.

From New York Times

He was a chain smoker to the end and drank way too much, put on weight in his 60s and had insomnia.

From Los Angeles Times

I was a chain smoker, which had a terrible effect on my health.

From Los Angeles Times

The singer is now 71 and still an unapologetic, Republican-hating chain smoker.

From Los Angeles Times

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known as a chain smoker - frequently seen with a cigarette in hand in photographs in state media.

From Reuters