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smoke

smoke

109 7.2
A sign that something may be wrong or hidden
  • noun
  • /smoʊk/
translation icon : humo
  • You know what they say where there's smoke, there's fire.
  • a smoke screen
  • smoke and mirrors

And that's not the smoke, that's the gun, right?

Examples

  • It's all a smoke screen, right?

    The Boost (1988)

  • Music was rising all around him like smoke, buoying up his heart.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Some things, some beautiful things are the smoke and not the fire.

  • This is a smoke screen.

    Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

  • If it is just smoke and mirrors as it were.

  • In his poems I see the smoke of history around the world.

  • Smoke and mirrors, my friend.

    Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (2022)

  • The crew we're after, they hit like thunder and disappear like smoke.

    Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

  • Looks like the Cocteau plan just went up in smoke.

    Demolition Man (1993)

  • In discussions about the economy, many theories are just smoke and mirrors.

Synonyms

phantasma
vssmoke
  • Literature
1 9.9

A ghost-like figure that seems real but is not

is a sign or suggestion rather than an actual appearing figure

Antonyms

truth
∞ 1.0

A fact that shows how things really are

reality
∞ 1.4

The way things really are, not how we imagine or wish

Idioms

smoke and mirrors
  • Informal
19 7.4

Actions that hide the truth by making things look better

to go up in smoke
  • Informal
18 5.5

Plans or hopes suddenly fail and disappear for good

holy smoke
  • Informal
3 8.2

A short cry to show strong surprise or admiration

to smoke like a chimney
  • Informal
3 6.8

To light and use many cigarettes every day

in a puff of smoke
  • Informal
1 8.4

Suddenly disappears without a clear reason

put that in your pipe and smoke it
  • Informal
1 9.9

Accept this fact even if you do not like it

to end in smoke
  • Informal
8.1

To fail completely and have no useful result

to smoke someone's pole
  • Offensive
9.9

To use the mouth to touch a man's penis

to smoke your own dope
  • Slang
9.9

To believe your own praise so much that you make bad choices

Compounds

smoke alarm
13 2.2

A device that makes a loud noise when it finds smoke to warn people

cloud of smoke
8 1.9

A large mass of smoke in the air from a fire

smoke-filled
8 3.4

Full of smoke from cigarettes or fire

smoke signal
7 4.8

A way to send messages over long distances by making patterns of smoke

puff of smoke
6 3.6

A small quick cloud of smoke that appears and disappears

smoke screen
5 5.1

An action or statement used to hide the real reason and distract people

tobacco smoke
4 2.1

Smoke that comes from burning tobacco products like cigarettes or cigars

smoke bomb
4 3.7

A small object that makes a thick cloud of smoke to hide people or mark a place

smoke grenade
  • Specialized
4 5.2

A small object that makes thick smoke to hide people or mark a place

smoke-filled room
  • Literature
3 7.2

A private place where a small group makes secret decisions, often in politics

gun smoke
1 2.7

Smoke that comes out when a gun is fired

smoke screen
  • Specialized
1 5.5

A cloud of smoke made to hide soldiers or vehicles from view

puff of white smoke
1 3.8

A small burst of white smoke from a chimney or engine

pall of smoke
1 7.3

A thick cloud of smoke that makes it hard to see

smoke hole
1 7.1

An opening in a roof or wall that lets smoke from a fire escape

magic smoke
  • Jargon
9.9

A funny name for the smoke that comes from an electronic part when it breaks

prairie smoke
  • US
9.9

A wildflower with purple flowers and feathery seed plumes found on grassland

smoke tree
7.5

A small tree or shrub with feathery flowers that look like smoke

smoke bush
7.6

A shrub or small tree with feathery flowers that look like puffs of smoke

smoke-cured
  • Specialized
4.9

Meat or fish preserved and given a smoky taste by drying in smoke

smoke-dried
  • Specialized
5.4

Meat or fish kept for a long time by hanging near a wood fire

How Strong

proof
∞ 2.5
evidence
∞ 1.8
sign
∞ 3.2
smoke
109 7.2
trace
492 3.3

Surface Forms

smoke singular
smokes plural

Etymology

The idea of smoke as a sign comes from the thought that smoke shows there may be fire, so people use 'smoke' for any sign or hint that something is true. That's why if you see 'smoke' around a story, it can mean there is some truth or only an illusion.