# smoking

Pronunciation: say "SMOH-king" US /ˈsmoʊkɪŋ/, UK /ˈsməʊkɪŋ/

## Noun

1. The practice of burning tobacco and inhaling the smoke that it produces.
   - Simple: The act of burning tobacco and breathing in the smoke.
   - _Smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of disease._
   - _The airline banned smoking on all of its flights decades ago._
4. The burning and inhaling of substances other than tobacco, such as marijuana.
   - Simple: The burning and breathing in of other things, such as marijuana.
   - _Smoking cannabis affects coordination and short-term memory._
   - _He switched from smoking to edibles to spare his lungs._
5. The exposing of something to smoke, especially the curing or flavoring of foods by smoke.
   - Simple: Putting food or other things into smoke, often to cure them or add flavor.
   - _Cold smoking preserves the fish without fully cooking it._
   - _Traditional smoking of sausages can last several days over smoldering hardwood._
6. The act or process of releasing smoke into the air, as from a fire or engine.
   - Simple: The giving off of smoke by something that is burning.
   - _The smoking of damp wood produced thick gray clouds over the yard._
   - _Heavy smoking from the exhaust pipe usually signals engine trouble._

## Verb

2. Present participle and gerund of smoke. — present participle and gerund of smoke
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of smoke. Use it for an action happening now or as the name of the action.
   - _The pitmaster is smoking a whole brisket for the festival._
   - _Visitors caught the locals smoking fish over open fires._

## Adjective

3. Releasing or giving off smoke, as from something burning or recently put out.
   - Simple: Giving off smoke, as something hot or burning does.
   - _A smoking candlewick filled the small room with a sharp smell._
   - _She stamped out the smoking remains of the campfire before leaving._
7. Displaying remarkable skill, talent, or flair in a performance. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Showing a lot of impressive skill or talent.
   - _The quarterback put on a smoking display in the final quarter._
   - _Critics called her debut album smoking from start to finish._
8. Strikingly sexually attractive, usually said of a woman. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very attractive or good-looking, usually said about a woman.
   - _He told his friends the woman across the bar was absolutely smoking._
   - _The magazine cover featured a smoking model in a red gown._

## Noun

9. Good-humored banter, teasing, or mockery aimed at a person. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Friendly teasing, joking, or making fun of someone.

## Origin

**Meanings 2–3, 7–8** — From Middle English smokynge, from Old English smociende ("smoking"), going back to Proto-Germanic *smukōndz ("emitting smoke"). It is equivalent to smoke plus -ing.
**Meanings 1, 4–6, 9** — From Middle English smokyng, equivalent to smoke plus the ending -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/smoking (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).