haze

¹ American  

[heyz] / heɪz /

noun

hazes plural

1. an aggregation in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles, or both, giving the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colors.

2. vagueness or obscurity, as of the mind or perception; confused or vague thoughts, feelings, etc..

   The victims were still in a haze and couldn't describe the accident.

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verb (used with or without object)

hazed, hazing

1. to make or become hazy.

haze ² American  

[heyz] / heɪz /

verb (used with object)

hazed, hazing

1. to subject (freshmen, newcomers, etc.) to abusive or humiliating tricks and ridicule.

2. Chiefly Nautical. to harass with unnecessary or disagreeable tasks.

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haze ¹ British  

/ heɪz /

noun

1. meteorol

   1. reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc, in the atmosphere

   2. the moisture or dust causing this

2. obscurity of perception, feeling, etc

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verb

1. to make or become hazy

haze ² British  

/ heɪz /

verb

1. to subject (fellow students) to ridicule or abuse

2. nautical to harass with humiliating tasks

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haze Idioms  

1. see in a fog (haze).

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Usage

What else does haze mean? Haze is a noun or adjective referring to a type of LSD (acid) or marijuana ... typically purple haze. Hazing, on the other hand, is an initiation ritual where people are subjected to all kinds of cruel and unusual tasks or humiliations.

Synonym Usage

See cloud.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hazer
  noun
• hazeless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hazes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of haze¹

First recorded in 1700–10; perhaps noun use of unattested Middle English hase; Old English hasu, variant of haswa “ashen, dusky”; see hazy, hare

Origin of haze²

First recorded in 1670–80, haze is from the Middle French word haser to irritate, annoy

Explanation

Haze is the fog or mist that's caused by small particles in the air. There is often a haze hovering over the city of Los Angeles. Although the noun haze can describe any kind of misty or slightly obscured air, it usually refers to visible air pollution, rather than just fog. You can also talk about being in a haze when you're confused or disoriented. When you hear haze being used as a verb, it usually means to torment a new, young recruit to a club, team, or group — the way fraternity brothers sometimes haze a new member, forcing him to perform humiliating or dangerous actions.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

haze hazes hazed hazing

A thick haze of smoke blocked views across the New York City region including MetLife stadium, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Through my glass, Barrio de las Letras fades into its own rosy haze.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

Now, he sends other relatives to check on operations and often sits in a haze on the couch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 14, 2026

The dim crimson haze can be easy to overlook, but it is created by powerful activity taking place far above Earth.

From Science Daily ● May 22, 2026

The orange-gold flowers waved slightly in the wind as the sun set to their left, casting the entire area in a golden haze.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Brande and his co-authors took special note of regions where exoplanets tend to form clouds or hazes high up in their atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2024

The new data matched the chemical signatures of a well-studied exoplanet called GJ 1214 b more accurately than previous research, demonstrating that hazes with different optical properties can lead to misinterpretations of a planet's atmosphere.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2023

As winds whip around the planet, carrying along the quartz nanoparticles, they form high-altitude hazes — essentially diffuse clouds of rock crystals — at the day–night termination zone.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 20, 2023

The dark spot is likely he result of mixing hazes and ices.

From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2023

And there was the quiet terror that suffused my senses when vast hazes of gold washed earthward from star-heavy skies on silent nights .

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

Equally normal, as far as Perales was concerned, was a Detroit skyline hazed by the fume-spewing Marathon petroleum refinery.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 22, 2023

“I think these players have the right to be respected and valued and not hazed, intimidated and retaliated.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 19, 2023

“When this calendar year ends, we will have hazed over 25,000 birds off the airport,” Nelsen said.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 27, 2022

He was brilliantly hazed by a co-worker who told him, while Bernstein was wearing a beloved cream-colored suit, that he had to “wash” all the staff’s used carbon paper.

From New York Times ● Jan. 5, 2022

The air around Nailer was hazed with the black work of shoreline smelters, but out there, beyond the smoke, he could see sails.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

“I saw it as affectionate hazing and acceptance into the group.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

But Mr. Warsh knows this hazing is what he signed up for.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

Upon investigation, the Berkeley Police Department said it does not suspect foul play, nor does it believe the incident was related to hazing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025

We were then, indeed, challenged and tested, with a slew of activities that added up to little more than a light hazing to bond us.

From Slate ● Apr. 27, 2025

White smoke billowed up, hazing her face to gray.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin