smoking

smoking — noun

1. the act of breathing in smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar through t

1.nounA2
Definition

the act of breathing in smoke from a burning cigarette, pipe, or cigar through the mouth, done either on one occasion or as a regular habit

Example

Eitan stepped outside the office for his only smoking break of the afternoon.

collocation: smoking break

The doctor warned Folake that smoking was slowly damaging her lungs.

that-clause: smoking + was damaging

Common collocations
  • quit smoking
  • stop smoking
  • give up smoking
  • smoking ban
  • smoking area
  • smoking section
  • passive smoking
  • second-hand smoking
  • heavy smoking
  • smoking-related diseases
Synonyms
  • tobacco use

    broader term that also includes chewing tobacco and snuff, not just smoking

  • cigarette smoking

    more specific — refers only to smoking cigarettes rather than pipes or cigars

Antonyms
  • non-smoking

    refers to the absence or prohibition of smoking, as in a non-smoking area

Grammar Patterns

uncountable; often used in phrases like no smoking, quit smoking

Usage Note

This noun is uncountable and does not have a plural form. It is commonly used in signs and warnings (No smoking), in health contexts (quit smoking, smoking causes cancer), and in compound nouns (smoking ban, smoking area, smoking section).

Common Mistakes

The smoking from the campfire made my eyes water.
The smoke from the campfire made my eyes water.
'Smoking' is the activity of using tobacco; 'smoke' is the visible gas produced by anything that is burning.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Smoking specifically means inhaling smoke from burning tobacco — it is the most common and traditional term. Tobacco use is broader and covers all forms of consuming tobacco, including chewing tobacco and snuff, not just smoking. Vaping refers to inhaling vapor from an electronic device (e-cigarette) and is a newer alternative to smoking; it does not involve burning tobacco. In public health messaging, smoking is often contrasted with vaping because the health risks differ. For example: 'Many people switched from smoking to vaping hoping it would be less harmful.' And: 'The campaign targets all forms of tobacco use, not just smoking.'

smoking ↗tobacco usevaping

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • no smoking
  • smoking or non-smoking
  • smoking-related illness

Prepositions

  • of (smoking of cigarettes)
  • in (engaged in smoking)

Etymology

West GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Smoking is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the verb smoke, turning the action into a noun. The verb smoke comes from Old English smocian (to emit smoke), which is related to the noun smoca (smoke, vapor). These words trace back to a common West Germanic root, and the sense of deliberately inhaling tobacco smoke became common in the 1600s as tobacco use spread through Europe.