smog

[smog, smawg]

noun

1. smoke or other atmospheric pollutants combined with fog in an unhealthy or irritating mixture.

2. photochemical smog.

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or envelop with or as if with smog.

smog

/ smɒɡ /

noun

1. a mixture of smoke, fog, and chemical fumes

smog

1. A form of air pollution produced by the reaction of sunlight with hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, and other gases primarily released in automobile exhaust. Smog is common in large urban areas, especially during hot, sunny weather, where it appears as a brownish haze that can irritate the eyes and lungs. Ozone, a toxic gas that is not normally produced at lower atmospheric levels, is one of the primary pollutants created in this kind of smog.

2. Also called photochemical smog

3. Fog that has become polluted with smoke and particulates, especially from burning coal.

smog

1. A haze or fog composed of water vapor, complex molecules, and suspended particles.

In North America, the primary cause of smog is pollution from automobile exhaust.

The Los Angeles basin, where pollutants can be trapped by inversions and the surrounding mountains, has frequent problems with smog, as do other major urban areas.

The word smog is a combination of smoke and fog.

Other Word Forms

• smogless adjective
• desmog verb (used with object)
• smoggy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of smog¹

1900–05; sm(oke) + ( f)og ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of smog¹

C20: from _sm ( _oke + _f ) _og ¹

Example Sentences

Acrid smog blankets the skyline each winter, when cooler air traps pollutants close to the ground, creating a deadly mix of emissions from crop burning, factories and heavy traffic.

Read more on Barron's

Bamboo tissue from China also performed worse in several environmental impact categories, including smog formation, respiratory effects, and ecotoxicity.

Read more on Science Daily

Each winter, thick smog chokes Delhi and its 30 million residents.

Read more on Barron's

While burning hydrogen does not produce CO2, the high-temperature combustion process can emit nitrogen oxides, or NOx, a key component of smog.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Authorities in Lahore, Pakistan, deploy "anti-smog guns" to curb air pollution ahead of the winter smog season.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• acid rain 
• carbon dioxide 
• fog 
• smoke 
• soot