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

The Biden visit comes amid increasing speculation over the future of Abbas, an 86-year-old chain smoker with a history of health problems who has ruled by decree since 2005, when the last Palestinian election was held.

From Reuters

“For China to quit coal is like for a chain smoker to quit cigarettes,” said Li Shuo, senior adviser at Greenpeace East Asia.

From Washington Post

A chain smoker who spent much of his free time playing video games and was known for a low-key personality and short attention span, Mr. Aquino told The Washington Post in 2010 that he “wasn’t thinking of running” after his mother’s death.

From Washington Post

Until the 1980s, when he quit cold turkey one day, he was a chain smoker.

From Washington Post