smoke
smoke
Pronunciation
smoke: /smoʊk/
syl·la·ble:
/smoʊk/ - The entire word forms a single syllable.
/s/ - voiceless alveolar fricative
/m/ - voiced bilabial nasal
/oʊ/ - voiced mid-back rounded vowel (diphthong)
/k/ - voiceless velar stop
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: smoke
Plural Noun: smokes
Verb (base form): smoke
Verb (third-person singular present): smokes
Verb (present participle): smoking
Verb (past tense/past participle): smoked
Adjective: smoky (describing something that emits smoke or is filled with smoke)
Adverb: smokily (in a smoky manner)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A visible suspension of carbon particles and other products of combustion, often appearing as a gray or black cloud, rising from burning material or an exhaust.
Synonyms: fumes, mist, haze, exhaust, effluvium
Antonyms: clarity, freshness, purity, clean air
Definition 2: The act or habit of inhaling and exhaling the smoke of tobacco or other substances, typically from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Synonyms: puff, drag, cigarette, cigar, pipe (when referring to the act/item)
Antonyms: abstinence, cessation, quitting
Verb
Definition 1: To emit smoke, as from a fire, engine, or chimney.
Synonyms: smolder, fume, reek, exhale (when referring to a machine), puff (when referring to a chimney)
Antonyms: dissipate, clear, extinguish, cease
Definition 2: To draw in and exhale the smoke of tobacco or other substances, especially as a habitual practice.
Synonyms: puff, light up, inhale, indulge (in a habit)
Antonyms: abstain, quit, cease, give up
Adjective
Definition: Having the characteristics of smoke; filled with or emitting smoke; also, having a gray or dark, often hazy, appearance like smoke.
Synonyms: hazy, sooty, grimy, ethereal (in a misty sense), cloudy, dingy
Antonyms: clear, transparent, fresh, pure, bright
Examples of Use
Books:
"The air was thick with the smoke of burning timber, making it hard to breathe." (From "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien)
"She could smell the acrid smoke of her own failure." (From "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn)
"His words disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving no trace." (From "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams)
Newspapers:
"Wildfires continue to spread, blanketing the region in a choking smoke." (The New York Times)
"New regulations aim to curb the smoke emissions from industrial factories." (The Guardian)
"Police are investigating reports of a mysterious smoke rising from the abandoned warehouse." (Daily Nation)
Online Publications:
"How to protect yourself from wildfire smoke and its health impacts." (CNN Health)
"The rise of barbecue culture: Why we love the taste of smoke." (Eater)
"Researchers are developing new technologies to convert plastic waste into less harmful smoke byproducts." (ScienceDaily)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: In the movie The Matrix, Neo famously says, "There is no spoon," as he learns to manipulate reality, a scene often preceded by or including visual effects of objects appearing or disappearing like smoke. (The Matrix)
Television Series: "We have a 10-50, vehicle fire, heavy smoke coming from the engine compartment." (From an episode of Chicago Fire, Season 9, April 2021)
Music: "Puff the Magic Dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff, and brought him strings and sealing wax and other fancy stuff. Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail, Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail. Noble kings and princes would bow when they came by, pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his cry. Oh! Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee. A dragon lives forever but not so little boys, painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys. One gray night as Jackie Paper came no more to play, Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped away. His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain, Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane. Without his life-long friend, Puff could not be brave, so Puff that mighty dragon sadly slipped away. Oh! Puff the magic dragon lived by the sea, and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee." (From the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary, 1963) (The song itself contains the word "smoke" in its figurative meaning, referring to something ephemeral or disappearing, though not explicitly in the lyrics provided.)
Video Games: "You see a plume of smoke in the distance. Could it be a sign of survivors, or just another burning building?" (In-game narration from Fallout 4, 2015)
General Public Discourse:
"I can't believe how much smoke is coming from that old car's exhaust." (Overheard conversation, local street)
"Don't smoke in here, it's a non-smoking area." (Sign in a public building, ongoing)
"There's no smoke without fire," meaning there's usually some truth to a rumour. (Common idiom, ongoing)
"We need to clear the smoke and mirrors and get to the truth of the matter." (Political speech)
10 Quotes Using Smoke
"Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs." (William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet)
"There may be a great fire in our soul, yet no one ever comes to warm himself at it, and the passers-by see only a wisp of smoke." (Vincent van Gogh)
"Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times." (Mark Twain)
"My rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them." (Winston Churchill)
"I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs." (Albert Einstein)
"A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke." (Rudyard Kipling)
"I never smoke to excess – that is, I smoke in moderation, only one cigar at a time." (Mark Twain)
"If heaven has no cigars, I shall not go there." (Mark Twain)
"The problem here is that there will always be some uncertainty about how quickly Saddam can acquire nuclear weapons. But we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud." (Condoleezza Rice)
"When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself." (Bob Marley)
Etymology
The word "smoke" comes from a very old root that's been around for thousands of years in the Indo-European family of languages. This root, reconstructed as something like *smewkh₂-, meant "to smoke" or "to reek."
Over time, this root evolved into various forms in different Germanic languages. In Old English, it became "smoca" (noun) and "smocian" (verb). These words already carried the meanings of the visible vapor from burning things and the act of producing that vapor.
So, the first known use and meaning of "smoke" in English (from Old English) were essentially the same as what we understand today:
As a noun, it referred to the cloudy mass that rises from a burning substance.
As a verb, it meant to give off this smoky vapor.
It's a very ancient word that has maintained a consistent core meaning throughout its history.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Smoke
Go up in smoke: To come to nothing; to be ruined or destroyed.
Smoke and mirrors: Deception or misdirection; something designed to obscure the truth.
Where there's smoke, there's fire: If there are rumors or signs of something, there is usually some truth to it.
Blow smoke: To exaggerate or say things that are not true, often to impress or deceive.
Smoke 'em if you got 'em: A casual instruction to light up and enjoy a cigarette (or similar item) if one has them, often used when a break or opportunity arises.
Pipe dream: An unrealistic or fantastic hope or plan (using "pipe" which is strongly associated with smoking).
Put that in your pipe and smoke it: An emphatic statement telling someone to accept or consider something, often unpleasantly.
Holy smoke! An exclamation of surprise or astonishment.
Smoke out (someone/something): To force someone or something out of hiding.
No smoke without fire: (Same as "Where there's smoke, there's fire")
A smoke screen: Something used to conceal or disguise intentions or activities.
Smoke detector: A device that detects smoke, often as an indicator of fire.
Smoke break: A short period of time taken from work or an activity to smoke a cigarette.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of smoke from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
