smoke
- the visible vapor and gases given off by a burning or smoldering substance, especially the gray, brown, or blackish mixture of gases and suspended carbon particles resulting from the combustion of wood, peat, coal, or other organic matter.
- something resembling this, as vapor or mist, flying particles, etc.
- something unsubstantial, evanescent, or without result: Their hopes and dreams proved to be smoke.
- an obscuring condition: the smoke of controversy.
- an act or spell of smoking something, especially tobacco: They had a smoke during the intermission.
- something for smoking, as a cigar or cigarette: This is the best smoke on the market.
- Slang. marijuana.
- Slang. a homemade drink consisting of denatured alcohol and water.
- Physics, Chemistry. a system of solid particles suspended in a gaseous medium.
- a bluish or brownish gray color.
- to give off or emit smoke, as in burning.
- to give out smoke offensively or improperly, as a stove.
- to send forth steam or vapor, dust, or the like.
- to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of tobacco or the like, as from a pipe or cigarette.
- Slang. to ride or travel with great speed.
- Australian.
- to flee.
- to abscond.
- to draw into the mouth and puff out the smoke of: to smoke tobacco.
- to use (a pipe, cigarette, etc.) in this process.
- to expose to smoke.
- to fumigate (rooms, furniture, etc.).
- to cure (meat, fish, etc.) by exposure to smoke.
- to color or darken by smoke.
- smoke out,
- to drive from a refuge by means of smoke.
- to force into public view or knowledge; reveal: to smoke out the leaders of the spy ring.
- go up/endin smoke, to terminate without producing a result; be unsuccessful: All our dreams went up in smoke.
Origin of smoke
Examples from the Web for smoke
Contemporary Examples
When it comes to the increasing number of rape allegations leveled at Bill Cosby, the smoke is becoming impenetrable.
“At least it keeps the mosquitoes away,” one of my table-mates said, as we watched the swooshes of smoke waft into the Havana sky.
Perhaps the guards at the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities will finally be allowed to smoke cubans, too.
She was separated from her colleagues after they were overcome by smoke and heat and ordered to withdraw.
Perhaps the smoke of all the early season buzz really did get in the Hollywood Foreign Press's eyes.
15 Enraging Golden Globe TV Snubs and Surprises: Amy Poehler, 'Mad Men' & MoreKevin Fallon
December 11, 2014
Historical Examples
And now, Uncle Paul, if you don't object I'll take out my pipe and have a smoke.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
She had boasted to him once of having learned to smoke at school.
MalboneThomas Wentworth Higginson
He tossed them onto the table, and Hal Dozier rolled his smoke in silence.
Way of the LawlessMax Brand
As I eat my breakfast and smoke my pipe, I ponder over my task.
Ballads of a BohemianRobert W. Service
And now they all vanish in a puff of smoke from the chimney.
Old Ticonderoga, A Picture of The PastNathaniel Hawthorne
smoke
- the product of combustion, consisting of fine particles of carbon carried by hot gases and air
- any cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
- the act of smoking tobacco or other substances, esp in a pipe or as a cigarette or cigar
- the duration of smoking such substances
- informal
- a cigarette or cigar
- a substance for smoking, such as pipe tobacco or marijuana
- something with no concrete or lasting substanceeverything turned to smoke
- a thing or condition that obscures
- any of various colours similar to that of smoke, esp a dark grey with a bluish, yellowish, or greenish tinge
- go up in smoke or end up in smoke
- to come to nothing
- to burn up vigorously
- to flare up in anger
- (intr) to emit smoke or the like, sometimes excessively or in the wrong place
- to draw in on (a burning cigarette, etc) and exhale the smoke
- to use tobacco for smoking
- (intr) slang to use marijuana for smoking
- (tr) to bring (oneself) into a specified state by smoking
- (tr) to subject or expose to smoke
- (tr) to cure (meat, fish, cheese, etc) by treating with smoke
- (tr) to fumigate or purify the air of (rooms, etc)
- (tr) to darken (glass, etc) by exposure to smoke
- (intr) slang to move, drive, ride, etc, very fast
- (tr) obsolete to tease or mock
- (tr) archaic to suspect or detect
Word Origin
Smoke
- the Smoke short for Big Smoke
Word Origin and History for smoke
n.1
late Old English smoca (rare) "fumes and volatile material given off by burning substances," related to smeocan "give off smoke," from Proto-Germanic *smuk- (cf. Middle Dutch smooc, Dutch smook, Middle High German smouch, German Schmauch), from PIE root *smeug- "to smoke; smoke" (cf. Armenian mux "smoke," Greek smykhein "to burn with smoldering flame," Old Irish much, Welsh mwg "smoke").
The more usual noun was Old English smec, which became dialectal smeech. Abusive meaning "black person" attested from 1913, American English. Smoke-eater "firefighter" is c.1930. Figurative phrase go up in smoke "be destroyed" (as if by fire) is from 1933. Smoke alarm first attested 1936; smoke-detector from 1957.
v.
Old English smocian "to produce smoke, emit smoke," especially as a result of burning, from smoke (n.1). Meaning "to drive out or away or into the open by means of smoke" is attested from 1590s. Meaning "to apply smoke to, to cure (bacon, fish, etc.) by exposure to smoke" is first attested 1590s. In connection with tobacco, "draw fumes from burning into the mouth," first recorded 1604 in James I's "Counterblast to Tobacco." Related: Smoked; smoking. Smoking gun in figurative sense of "incontestable evidence" is from 1974.
n.2
"cigarette," slang, 1882, from smoke (n.1). Also "opium" (1884). Meaning "a spell of smoking tobacco" is recorded from 1835.
smoke
- A mixture of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases, usually containing particles of soot or other solids, produced by the burning of carbon-containing materials such as wood and coal.
Idioms and Phrases with smoke
smoke
In addition to the idiom beginning with smoke
- smoke out
also see:
- chain smoker
- go up in flames (smoke)
- holy cow (smoke)
- no smoke without fire
- watch one's dust (smoke)