smoke
♦♦ smoke /sm'oʊk/ (smokes smoking smoked)
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Smoke consists of gas and small bits of solid material that are sent into the air when something burns.
A cloud of black smoke blew over the city...
The air was thick with cigarette smoke.
2 [VERB] V, V-ing
If something is smoking, smoke is coming from it.
The chimney was smoking fiercely.
...a pile of smoking rubble.
3 [VERB] V n, V
When someone smokes a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, they suck the smoke from it into their mouth and blow it out again. If you smoke, you regularly smoke cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe.
He was sitting alone, smoking a big cigar...
Do you smoke?
[N-SING] a N
Smoke is also a noun.
Someone came out for a smoke.
● smoker [N-COUNT]
He was not a heavy smoker.
4 [VERB] usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed
If fish or meat is smoked, it is hung over burning wood so that the smoke preserves it and gives it a special flavour.
...the grid where the fish were being smoked.
...smoked bacon.
5
see also smoked, smoking
6 [PHRASE]
If someone says there's no smoke without fire or where there's smoke there's fire, they mean that there are rumours or signs that something is true so it must be at least partly true.
7 [PHRASE] V inflects
If something goes up in smoke, it is destroyed by fire.
More than 900 years of British history went up in smoke in the Great Fire of Windsor.
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If something that is very important to you goes up in smoke, it fails or ends without anything being achieved.
Their dreams went up in smoke after the collapse of their travel agency.smoke alarm (smoke alarms)
also smoke detector
[N-COUNT]
A smoke alarm or a smoke detector is a device fixed to the ceiling of a room which makes a loud noise if there is smoke in the air, to warn people.smoke bomb (smoke bombs)
[N-COUNT]
A smoke bomb is a bomb that produces clouds of smoke when it explodes.smoke out
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you smoke out someone who is hiding, you discover them and make them publicly known.
The committee have tried dozens of different ways to smoke him out.
...technology to smoke out tax evaders.smoke sig|nal (smoke signals)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
If someone such as a politician or businessman sends out smoke signals, they give an indication of their views and intentions. This indication is often not clear and needs to be worked out.
The smoke signals from the central bank suggest further cuts are coming.
1 [N-UNCOUNT]
Smoke consists of gas and small bits of solid material that are sent into the air when something burns.
A cloud of black smoke blew over the city...
The air was thick with cigarette smoke.
2 [VERB] V, V-ing
If something is smoking, smoke is coming from it.
The chimney was smoking fiercely.
...a pile of smoking rubble.
3 [VERB] V n, V
When someone smokes a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, they suck the smoke from it into their mouth and blow it out again. If you smoke, you regularly smoke cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe.
He was sitting alone, smoking a big cigar...
Do you smoke?
[N-SING] a N
Smoke is also a noun.
Someone came out for a smoke.
● smoker [N-COUNT]
He was not a heavy smoker.
4 [VERB] usu passive, be V-ed, V-ed
If fish or meat is smoked, it is hung over burning wood so that the smoke preserves it and gives it a special flavour.
...the grid where the fish were being smoked.
...smoked bacon.
5
see also smoked, smoking
6 [PHRASE]
If someone says there's no smoke without fire or where there's smoke there's fire, they mean that there are rumours or signs that something is true so it must be at least partly true.
7 [PHRASE] V inflects
If something goes up in smoke, it is destroyed by fire.
More than 900 years of British history went up in smoke in the Great Fire of Windsor.
8 [PHRASE] V inflects
If something that is very important to you goes up in smoke, it fails or ends without anything being achieved.
Their dreams went up in smoke after the collapse of their travel agency.smoke alarm (smoke alarms)
also smoke detector
[N-COUNT]
A smoke alarm or a smoke detector is a device fixed to the ceiling of a room which makes a loud noise if there is smoke in the air, to warn people.smoke bomb (smoke bombs)
[N-COUNT]
A smoke bomb is a bomb that produces clouds of smoke when it explodes.smoke out
[PHRASAL VERB] V n P, V P n (not pron)
If you smoke out someone who is hiding, you discover them and make them publicly known.
The committee have tried dozens of different ways to smoke him out.
...technology to smoke out tax evaders.smoke sig|nal (smoke signals)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
If someone such as a politician or businessman sends out smoke signals, they give an indication of their views and intentions. This indication is often not clear and needs to be worked out.
The smoke signals from the central bank suggest further cuts are coming.