cigarettes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of cigarette.

   Customs officers seized thousands of cigarettes hidden in the truck.

   Cheap cigarettes flooded the local market last year.

   Note

   Nothing irregular happens here: cigarette simply adds -s, and the plural counts like any everyday object, as in a pack of cigarettes or thousands of cigarettes. The same spelling also serves as the present-tense form of the rare slang verb. As a noun it follows a number or determiner. As a verb it follows a singular subject and takes an object of its own.

2. 2
   verbslang

   Third-person singular simple present of cigarette.

   Note

   Behind this form sits a rare slang verb meaning to hand someone a cigarette or to light one for them. It is transitive, so the person being served is its object: she cigarettes each guest as they arrive. Because it is both rare and slangy, it suits playful or colloquial writing. In neutral prose, gives him a cigarette or lights his cigarette is the safer choice.

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