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

The haze has disrupted life across Southeast Asia, sparking fresh calls for action from those affected.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

"Right now the economy is already very difficult, and the haze just makes it worse," he told AFP, adding that this year's situation was worse than even previous major bouts of haze in 2015.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

In Indonesia's Palangkaraya -- part of the epicentre of the fires where thick haze turned the skies into apocalyptic shades of yellow and orange -- residents said they were suffering from its effects on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Indonesia said Saturday it had been using dry ice at one of South Sumatra province's main airports in an attempt to disperse the haze.

From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026

Many zooplanktons emitted a soft blue glow, and as their tiny glowing bodies gathered together, they became a glowing haze.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Whether a planet's atmosphere contains hazes or other particles has a marked influence on global temperatures, incoming levels of starlight, and other factors that can hinder or foster biological activity, the researchers said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2023

"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

Because he didn’t join until the early ‘90s, keyboardist Rubén Valtierra is still considered the “new guy” in the band and gets hazed accordingly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 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 wolf was part of the Hoodoo pack that was hazed away from Nutrioso in December, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 18, 2021

Late in the afternoon, my mind hazed with fatigue.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

David Skorton, then-president of Cornell, vowed “to end pledging as we know it,” blaming fraternities’ and sororities’ recruitment process for perpetuating hazing rituals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Effective prevention begins with understanding and changing those dynamics to transform hazing culture.

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

“Middle school is supposed to be the worst. It’s like a giant hazing for adulthood. We all gotta go through it.”

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty

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