cigar

American  

[si-gahr] / sɪˈgɑr /

noun

cigars plural

1. a more or less cylindrical roll of tobacco cured for smoking, of any of various lengths, thicknesses, degrees of straightness, etc., usually wrapped in a tobacco leaf.

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idioms

1. no cigar, not being a winning or successful effort, as if not good enough to earn a cigar as a prize.

   He made a good try at fielding the ball, but no cigar.

cigar British  

/ sɪˈɡɑː /

noun

1. a cylindrical roll of cured tobacco leaves, for smoking

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cigarless
  adjective
• cigarlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cigars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cigar

First recorded in 1625–35, cigar is from the Spanish word cigarro

Compare meaning

How does cigar compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cigarillo vs. cigar

Explanation

A cigar is a fairly large rolled bundle of tobacco that smokers light and take puffs from. A cigar is usually brown, and it's almost always fatter and longer than a cigarette. Cigar smoking tends to be more of a special event than cigarette smoking, and the ritual involves cutting off the cigar's closed end, lighting the other side with a match, and puffing the smoke lightly. Another difference between cigar and cigarette smokers is that cigar smoke isn't usually inhaled, but only drawn into the mouth. The word cigar comes from the Spanish cigarro, most likely from a Mayan root, sicar, "to smoke rolled tobacco leaves."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cigar cigars

When Volcker — who served so long ago that smoking was still allowed in the hearing room — didn’t like a line of questioning, he would disappear behind a large cloud of cigar smoke.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

Stopping Celtic earning 10 titles in a row was enormous but too often it was a case of close but no cigar and at Rangers, that's not good enough.

From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026

O’Brien, gamely holding a cigar, introduces the museum director, who begins by noting that Freud’s office couch is actually housed in London.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Members pay $6,500 a year plus a $5,000 initiation fee for access to private dining, curated experiences like sleigh rides and holiday parties, and optional private liquor lockers and cigar humidors for an extra fee.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 24, 2026

I had kids collect shells, and we glued them on wooden cigar boxes that I got Johnny Cakes to donate.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

“The quintessential image of price fixing is a secret deal made between competitors over cigars in a smoky back room,” attorneys wrote in the complaint.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

He later called the community “a unique opportunity to experiment with democracy,” describing it as the kind of place where people can freely set off fireworks and smoke cigars wherever they want.

From Salon ● May 3, 2026

He eventually entered to find his boss, Winston Churchill, and Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Free French, puffing cigars and “sitting side by side with amiable expressions on their faces.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

The "Festival del Habano" draws cigar enthusiasts, traders, and specialized journalists from around the world and features an auction of luxury cigars and humidors.

From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026

"I like a cigar to really draw," said the count "Half the cigars you smoke don't draw."

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway