fume

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a smoke, vapor, or gas especially when irritating or offensive
engine exhaust fumes
b
: an often noxious suspension of particles in a gas (such as air)
2
: something (such as an emotion) that impairs one's reasoning
sometimes his head gets a little hot with the fumes of patriotismMatthew Arnold
3
: a state of excited irritation or anger
usually used in the phrase in a fume
fumy adjective

fume

2 of 2

verb

fumed; fuming

transitive verb

1
: to expose to or treat with fumes
2
: to give off in fumes
fuming thick black smoke
3
: to utter while in a state of excited irritation or anger

intransitive verb

1
a
: to emit fumes
b
: to be in a state of excited irritation or anger
fretted and fumed over the delay
2
: to rise in or as if in fumes
Phrases
on fumes
: with little of the original strength or energy remaining
tired ballplayers running on fumes

Examples of fume in a Sentence

Verb She's still fuming about not being invited to the party. We sat there waiting for him, fuming with anger at the delay. “They made these changes without even asking our opinion,” one employee fumed. The volcano was fuming thick black smoke.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If you are stopped in heavy snow, make sure the area around your tailpipe is clear to avoid poisonous carbon monoxide exhaust fumes backing up into the vehicle. Joe Difazio, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024 The beauty of electric boats is the relative lack of noise, exhaust fumes, along with instant torque and responsive acceleration. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2023 Heat converts liquid formaldehyde into a gas that creates fumes that can sicken salon workers and patrons. Ronnie Cohen, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024 Biden is telling voters that the numbers point to a brighter future, while Trump says the gains are merely the fumes of his time in office. Fatima Hussein and Josh Boak, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024 Sick of Southern California’s car culture, which not only fuels climate change but also pollutes our air with toxic fumes? Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2024 With quick cuts to factory workers in goggles and hazmat suits dancing atop and along assembly lines, we’re made to believe that these workers braving the dangerous fumes of desperate love are doing their damndest to keep the heart beating smoothly for as long as possible. Vulture, 31 Jan. 2024 Your plane might be unsafe if this happens Here are a few signs that your plane may not be airworthy: Bad smells: Strong odors, fuel fumes or burning smells could be a sign of a problem with the plane’s systems. Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024 Those who have occupations that deal with dust, vapors, and fumes — frequent in mining, construction, and transportation industries — are most likely to suffer from COPD. Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 12 Jan. 2024
Verb
Sinclair said the crowd — some of whom had traveled even farther, from England or northern Scotland — was fuming. Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Dan Campbell is still probably fuming at how his team lost to the Dallas Cowboys on the controversial referee call. USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024 The decision, which found that Musk’s control over Tesla’s board led it to grant him an unfairly lavish compensation deal, left Musk fuming. Rachel Lerman, Washington Post, 19 Feb. 2024 Anyone who fumes at neighbors who don’t pick up after their dogs can identify with the surveillance-welcoming residents of Seine-Saint-Denis. IEEE Spectrum, 27 Dec. 2023 While the reporters fumed at being so brazenly managed, the demand for news about Stalin and the Soviet Union was so insatiable in the West that they were forced to play the game. Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2023 To this day, Khan and his allies fume over the deep state intrigues — and alleged U.S. interference — that drove him from power. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2024 Commissioner Steve Glassman, fuming over the snub to City Manager Greg Chavarria, admits to dropping the first F-bomb while taking a breather backstage. Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 10 Jan. 2024 Donald Trump spent the days after Jan. 6, 2021, privately fuming about the election and his media coverage. Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fume.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "smoke, exhalation," borrowed from Anglo-French fum, going back to Latin fūmus "smoke, fumes," going back to Indo-European *dhuh2-mó- "smoke, vapor" (whence also Old Church Slavic dymŭ "smoke," Lithuanian dū́mai, Sanskrit dhūmáḥ, and probably Greek thȳmós "spirit, mind, courage"), noun derivative from a verbal base *dhu̯eh2- or *dheu̯h2- "produce smoke by burning," whence Greek thýō, thýein "to sacrifice," Latin suffiō, suffīre "to subject to smoke, fumigate," Old Church Slavic dujǫ, duti "to blow" and perhaps Tocharian B twās- "kindle, ignite"

Note: Also allied are Hittite tuhhae-, perhaps "to smoke out, drive out by smoke," from an unattested noun derivative (earlier glossed as "gasp, cough"; see A. Kloeckhorst, Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Brill, 2008); and Old High German toum "vapor, smoke," Middle Dutch doom "vapor, steam," going back to Germanic *dauma-, presumably from an o-grade derivative *dhou̯h2-mo-. Greek thȳmós is an exact phonetic correspondent to the other words, though the sense divergence suggests influence from some phonetically similar base of different meaning.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of fume was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near fume

Cite this Entry

“Fume.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fume. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

fume

1 of 2 noun
: a disagreeable smoke, vapor, or gas
usually used in plural
acid fumes
fumy adjective

fume

2 of 2 verb
fumed; fuming
1
: to expose to or treat with fumes
2
: to give off fumes
3
: to show bad temper or anger

More from Merriam-Webster on fume

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