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

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 4, 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

Anat struggled to get the words out, the smoke from auditorium one now a steadily worsening haze.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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

"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

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

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

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

“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

Late in the afternoon, my mind hazed with fatigue.

From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin

“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

And for bears that keep snooping around houses or livestock, there are ways of hazing that don’t involve dogs chasing them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2025

The best combat the campaigns could muster this lazy end-of-summer week was some mutual hazing about the terms of the long-scheduled Sept. 10 debate on ABC News.

From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2024

“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