haze

¹ American  

[hayz] / 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  

[hayz] / 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

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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

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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

As Indonesia battles its worst wildfire season in a decade, a toxic haze is choking millions of residents in the region.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

This year, the calculation has also been impacted by heavy haze, which has obscured satellite images at times.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The haze has been linked to hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses in Indonesia, and has drifted to neighbouring countries like Singapore and Malaysia.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Fires in Indonesia that have caused a regional haze crisis burned through over 1.9 million hectares between January and the end of September this year, a monitor analysing satellite imagery said on Monday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

The smell of fermented fruit was overpowering, and a haze of escaped flies lifted off the tables like a buzzing veil every time Morgan moved.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

They also found that the previous study's detection of hazes could instead be caused by star spots on the star's surface, highlighting the importance of considering the star in the analysis.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 9, 2024

Those hazes then venture into the dayside, and are vaporized in the heat.

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

On her first day on the job, Lange was hazed by a fellow traffic reporter, who told her about a big accident on the 405 Freeway at Wilshire Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

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

Her fiancé, Montana Siniff, testified earlier this month that Watkins’ 2003 discharge came after she was hazed on a deployment.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 16, 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

Remedies Cornell eventually introduced included banning freshmen from attending Greek parties during their first semester and shortening the pledging period from eight weeks to four to reduce opportunities for hazing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

That is why preventing hazing requires more than prohibiting particular behavior or responding after the fact.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Institutions must examine the cultures and power structures in which hazing flourishes, including secrecy, expectations of unquestioned loyalty, power imbalances and norms that discourage intervention and reporting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

The kitchen scenes are a combo platter of boot camp, frat house hazing ritual and kung fu movie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

We got the presidents of the sorority as our “big sisters,” which meant that throughout pledging, we escaped a lot of the hazing.

From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers

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