secondhand smoke
nounDefinition of secondhand smoke
: tobacco smoke that is exhaled by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby
Examples of secondhand smoke in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An estimated 41,000 adult nonsmoker deaths were linked to secondhand smoke in 2013 and 2014. — Doug Criss, CNN, "5 things to know for July 12: Barry, politics, R. Kelly, immigrants, secondhand smoke," 12 July 2019 Glantz highlighted his achievements: two statistics textbooks, the research behind the dangers of secondhand smoke and much of what's been learned about the tobacco industry's historical misstatements on the addictive nature of tobacco. — Jayne O'donnell, USA TODAY, "Study linking vaping to heart attacks muddied amid spat between two tobacco researchers," 17 July 2019 The Marlboro man is getting hooked on secondhand smoke. — Carol Ryan, WSJ, "Marlboro’s Parent Has New Addictions," 26 Apr. 2019 Of those, about 890,000 deaths are non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke. — Yuri Kageyama, The Seattle Times, "Philip Morris woos puff-happy Japan for post-smoking era," 23 Oct. 2018 Still, the health ministry says it is estimated as many as 15,000 people die in Japan from secondhand smoke every year. — Megumi Fujikawa, WSJ, "Coughing Up Reform: Japan Tightens Smoking Laws a Little," 18 July 2018 Your eyes are no exception, and being exposed to smoke or secondhand smoke can make dry eye worse, the NEI says. — Korin Miller, SELF, "7 Things That Can Make Your Dry Eyes Even Worse," 1 Aug. 2018 Smoking is the top risk factor for COPD, but it is also caused by significant exposure to air pollution and/or secondhand smoke. — Candace Bromley, Philly.com, "Q&A: What do I need to know about COPD?," 17 Apr. 2018 Meanwhile, Springer worries that people might come to the wrong conclusion — that the absence of research means the secondhand smoke is OK. — Marissa Ortega-welch, Washington Post, "Are There Risks From Secondhand Marijuana Smoke? Early Science Says Yes.," 21 Mar. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'secondhand smoke.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for secondhand smoke
secondhand smoke
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of secondhand smoke
: smoke from a cigarette, cigar, pipe, etc., that can be inhaled by people who are near the person who is smoking
See the full definition for secondhand smoke in the English Language Learners Dictionary
secondhand smoke
noun
sec·ond·hand smoke
| \ ˌsek-ᵊn(d)-ˌhan(d)-
\
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Medical Definition of secondhand smoke
: tobacco smoke that is exhaled by a smoker or is given off by burning tobacco (as of a cigarette) and is inhaled by persons nearby
— called also passive smoke