secondhand smoke
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of secondhand smoke
First recorded in 1975–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Breathing in secondhand smoke in prison is “inhuman and degrading treatment” if the judges say so, while not being allowed to produce secondhand smoke is a violation of the “right to private life.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025
Meanwhile Australia’s bans in areas like beaches and parks aren't necessarily about secondhand smoke "because there’s plenty of fresh air around".
From BBC • Aug. 31, 2024
But those areas are not contiguous, and the practical effect is that secondhand smoke is present in varying degrees throughout the casino floor.
From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024
It's long been established that secondhand smoke is a detriment to health and linked to cancer.
From Science Daily • Jan. 8, 2024
Research on the effects of secondhand smoke was relatively new.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
