smoking

Variant of smoke

smoke definition

smoke (smōk)

noun

    1. vaporous matter arising from something burning and made visible by minute particles of carbon suspended in it
    2. a mass or cloud of this
  1. any vapor, fume, mist, etc. resembling smoke
    1. ☆ an act or period of smoking tobacco, etc. time out for a smoke
    2. something to smoke, as a cigarette or pipeful of tobacco
  2. something without substance, significance, or lasting reality
  3. something that beclouds or obscures
  4. a dusky gray
  5. Physical Chem. a suspension of solid particles in a gas

Etymology: ME < OE smoca, akin to Ger schmauch < IE base *smeukh-, to smoke > Gr smychein, to smolder, Ir mūch, smoke

intransitive verb smoked, smoking smok′·ing

  1. to give off smoke or a smokelike substance
  2. to discharge smoke in the wrong place, esp. into a room: said of a furnace, fireplace, etc.
  3. to give off too much smoke: said of a lamp, type of fuel, etc.
  4. Now Rare to move very rapidly, esp. so as to raise dust
    1. to draw the smoke of tobacco, etc. into the mouth, and often lungs, and blow it out again
    2. to be a habitual smoker

transitive verb

  1. to stain or color with smoke
  2. to treat (meat, fish, etc.) with smoke, as in flavoring or curing
  3. to fumigate as with smoke
  4. to drive or force into the open with or as with smoke; force out of hiding, secrecy, etc.: often with out
  5. to stupefy or stun (bees, etc.) with smoke
  6. to draw the smoke of or from (tobacco, a pipe, etc.) into the mouth, and often lungs, and blow it out again
  7. Archaic to detect or be suspicious of
  8. Obsolete to tease or mock

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.