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

"We have started to feel it, especially at night and in the morning, as haze has already blanketed the city of Pontianak," he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

In the distance, somewhat grayed by atmospheric haze, are the smokestacks and cooling tower of the power plant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

"Within 15 minutes there was a tiny bit of haze, to black smoke, to flames," Curtois told the BBC.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

These compounds can react in the atmosphere to form aerosols that contribute to haze and reduced air quality.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 2026

An autumn haze drifted across the stifling late-August schoolroom.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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

"What we have always seen as blurred hazes in Jupiter's atmosphere now appear as crisp features that we can track along with the planet's fast rotation."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2023

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

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

Colum McCann, Benjamin Kunkel, Prince Charles and Jean-Michel Basquiat were also hazed for moments of preposterousness.

From New York Times ● May 22, 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

“Willingness has nothing to do with being hazed, you can be willing and be hazed,” said the father.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2021

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

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

In addition to the nonlethal hazing, the department encourages ranchers to hire “range riders,” essentially cowboys, to sleep in the pastures with the cows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025

The report said the department lacks written policies and procedures to inform officers of all ranks about what exactly constitutes hazing.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2024

Fort Hare could be a rather elitist place and was not without the hazing common to many institutions of higher learning.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela