smoke

[ smohk ]

/ smoʊk /

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See synonyms for: smoke / smoked / smoking on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

verb (used without object), smoked, smok·ing.

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.

verb (used with object), smoked, smok·ing.

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.

Verb Phrases

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.

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Idioms about smoke

go up / end in smoke, to terminate without producing a result; be unsuccessful: All our dreams went up in smoke.

Origin of smoke

before 1000; (noun) Middle English; Old English smoca; (v.) Middle English smoken,Old English smocian

OTHER WORDS FROM smoke

smokelike, adjectivean·ti·smoke, adjective, nounun·smoked, adjectiveun·smok·ing, adjective

Words nearby smoke

smock mill, smog, smogbound, smoggy, smokable, smoke, smoke and mirrors, smoke bomb, smoke chamber, smokechaser, smoke detector

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use smoke in a sentence

The 491,000-acre August Complex Fire is now the largest blaze in state history, and statewide, a total of more than 3 million acres have gone up in smoke, a record area for a single year.
“Unprecedented”: What’s behind the California, Oregon, and Washington wildfires|Umair Irfan|September 11, 2020|Vox
I am constantly wondering if the tightness in my chest is panic or rage or virus or smoke.
Our Climate-Change Future Is Here|Heather Hansman|September 11, 2020|Outside Online
When a shot is fired, it’s the bang that is heard, the smoke that is felt.
The Rise of American Militias, From Timothy McVeigh to Kyle Rittenhouse|Nick Fouriezos|September 6, 2020|Ozy
The fires fueled huge thunderclouds, which drew between 300,000 and 900,000 metric tons of smoke into the stratosphere — more smoke than any known inferno.
Here’s the summer science you might have missed|Janet Raloff|September 1, 2020|Science News For Students

Maybe there’s too much smog that day from agricultural emissions in the Central Valley, or even too many locals complain that they don’t like smoke.
They Know How to Prevent Megafires. Why Won’t Anybody Listen?|by Elizabeth Weil|August 28, 2020|ProPublica
When it comes to the increasing number of rape allegations leveled at Bill Cosby, the smoke is becoming impenetrable.
Butts, Brawls, and Bill Cosby: The Biggest Celebrity Scandals of 2014 |Kevin Fallon|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You spice it with blues and skiffle music, and pickle it in alcohol and tobacco smoke.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“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.
Canada ♥ Cuba Just Got Complicated|Shinan Govani|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps the guards at the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities will finally be allowed to smoke cubans, too.
Cigar Dealers Light Up Over Cuba News|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So too does Inherent Vice, which is something like a love letter written in pot smoke to the Gold Coast.
Paul Thomas Anderson: The West Coast’s Scorsese|Nick Schager|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The young men gathered round him and offered him a cigar, which he accepted and began to smoke.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
After a bit of waiting, Mac decided that the smoke was floating from a certain direction, and we began to edge carefully that way.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The smoke from her kitchen fire rose white as she put in dry sumac to give it a start.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
In most club card-rooms smoking is not permitted, but at the Pandemonium it is the fashion to smoke everywhere.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
When the smoke and dust cleared away nothing stirred on the whole of that piece of ground.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton

British Dictionary definitions for smoke (1 of 2)

smoke

/ (sməʊk) /

noun

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

verb

(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

Derived forms of smoke

smokable or smokeable, adjective

Word Origin for smoke

Old English smoca (n); related to Middle Dutch smieken to emit smoke

British Dictionary definitions for smoke (2 of 2)

Smoke

/ (sməʊk) /

noun

the Smoke short for Big Smoke

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for smoke

smoke

[ smōk ]

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.

Other 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)

smoke

Idioms about smoke

Origin of smoke

OTHER WORDS FROM smoke

Words nearby smoke

Words related to smoke

How to use smoke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for smoke (1 of 2)

Derived forms of smoke

Word Origin for smoke

British Dictionary definitions for smoke (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for smoke

Other Idioms and Phrases with smoke