fume
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to emit or exhale, as fumes or vapor.
giant stacks fuming their sooty smoke.
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to treat with or expose to fumes.
adjective
verb
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(intr) to be overcome with anger or fury; rage
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to give off (fumes) or (of fumes) to be given off, esp during a chemical reaction
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(tr) to subject to or treat with fumes; fumigate
noun
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(often plural) a pungent or toxic vapour
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a sharp or pungent odour
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a condition of anger
Other Word Forms
- fumeless adjective
- fumelike adjective
- fumer noun
- fumingly adverb
- fumy adjective
- unfuming adjective
Etymology
Origin of fume
1350–1400; Middle English < Old French fum < Latin fūmus smoke, steam, fume
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Informal recycling is rife with hazards -- open burning, acid baths and unprotected dismantling expose workers to toxic fumes and contaminate soil and water.
From Barron's
“That wasn’t funny at all, if that’s your idea of a prank,” she fumed.
From Literature
At the same time, some residents are fuming that, despite the undergrounding work, most of the town’s neighborhoods still will have overhead telecommunications lines.
From Los Angeles Times
Wales lock Adam Beard, who plays for Montpellier, had a moment that had home coach Tandy fuming and handed the bonus-point try for France.
From BBC
The federal investigators encountered puddles of crude oil on the facility grounds, as well as caustic fumes emanating from the facility, resulting in violations for air quality and other environmental infractions.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
