Haze is light mist, caused by particles of water or dust in the air, which prevents you from seeing distant objects clearly. Haze often forms in hot weather.
They vanished into the haze near the horizon.
The sun smouldered through a thin summer haze.
...the shimmering heat haze.
2. singular noun
If there is a hazeof something such as smoke or steam, you cannot see clearly through it.
[literary]
Dan smiled at him through a haze of smoke and steaming coffee. [+ of]
A thick haze of acrid smoke hung in the air.
Synonyms: mist, film, cloud, steam More Synonyms of haze
3. singular noun [with supplement, oft adjective NOUN, NOUNof noun]
If someone is in a haze, they are not thinking clearly or not really noticing what is happening around them.
His mind was a haze of fear and confusion.
...asking people to recollect a vanished past through a nostalgic haze.
haze in British English1
(heɪz)
noun
1. meteorology
a.
reduced visibility in the air as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc, in the atmosphere
b.
the moisture or dust causing this
2.
obscurity of perception, feeling, etc
verb
3. (whenintr, often foll by over)
to make or become hazy
Word origin
C18: back formation from hazy
haze in British English2
(heɪz)
verb(transitive)
1. mainly US and Canadian
to subject (fellow students) to ridicule or abuse
2. nautical
to harass with humiliating tasks
Derived forms
hazer (ˈhazer)
noun
Word origin
C17: of uncertain origin
haze in American English1
(heɪz)
noun
1.
a dispersion of fine sand, smoke, dust, etc. in the air that reduces visibility
2.
a slight confusion or vagueness of mind
verb intransitive, verb transitiveWord forms: hazed or ˈhazing
3.
to make or become hazy
often with over
SIMILAR WORDS: mist
Word origin
prob. back-form. < hazy
haze in American English2
(heɪz)
verb transitiveWord forms: hazed or ˈhazing
1. Nautical
to punish or harass by forcing to do hard, unnecessary work
2. US
to initiate or discipline (fellow students) by forcing to do ridiculous, humiliating, or painful things
3. US and West
to drive (horses or cattle) while on horseback
Word origin
< ? OFr haser, to irritate, annoy
Examples of 'haze' in a sentence
haze
His voice was lost in blue haze and noise.
Aldiss, Brian Somewhere East of Life (1994)
The haze of summer hung sweetly over the opening.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The effect of haze on the lighting is to soften the hard edges of sunlight.
Freeman, Michael Collins Complete Guide to Photography (1993)
Heat haze could also be a problem.
Andy Dougan THE HUNTING OF MAN (2004)
And a big beach stretching way off into the heat haze.
The Sun (2013)
There is a heat haze beyond.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Both pictures show a haunting background of mountains painted with a subtle blue haze that gives a sense of distance and perspective.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Life doesn't dissolve in a haze of pink smoke.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
That view is spectacular as well, albeit clouded by the haze.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
And always the awful heat, conjured by a continual smoke haze.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Life is seen through a thick haze of cigarette smoke, or beneath a sticky coating of dust.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I would sit with friends and watch what amounted to a dizzying haze of flashing light and colour.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
To the left the beach runs round to a low cliff, sweeping back to the right and vanishing into blue haze.
Ben Nimmo IN FORKBEARD'S WAKE: Coasting Round Scandinavia (2003)
The amount of haze varies, and in its visible effect, strong haze merges with light continuous cloud.
Freeman, Michael Collins Complete Guide to Photography (1993)
After many years in the shadows, a new sprint hero burst through the summer haze at the national championships in Birmingham yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
haze
British English: haze NOUN
Haze is light mist, caused by particles of water or dust in the air, which prevents you from seeing distant objects clearly. Haze often forms in hot weather.
They vanished into the haze near the horizon.
American English: haze
Brazilian Portuguese: névoa
Chinese: 薄雾
European Spanish: neblina
French: brume
German: Dunst
Italian: foschia
Japanese: もや
Korean: 연무
European Portuguese: névoa
Latin American Spanish: neblina
Chinese translation of 'haze'
haze
(heɪz)
n(s/u)
薄雾(霧) (bówù)
a haze of cigarette smoke香烟(煙)的烟(煙)雾(霧) (xiāngyān de yānwù)
(noun)
Definition
reduced visibility as a result of condensed water vapour, dust, etc., in the air
Dan smiled at him through a haze of smoke and steaming coffee.
Synonyms
mist
Thick mist made flying impossible.
film
There was a sort of film over my eyes.
cloud
The sun was almost entirely obscured by cloud.
steam
The heat converts water into high-pressure steam.
fog
The crash happened in thick fog.
obscurity
the vast branches vanished into deep indigo obscurity above my head
vapour
a cloud of poisonous vapour
smog
Cars cause pollution, and both smog and acid rain.
dimness
smokiness
Additional synonyms
in the sense of cloud
Definition
a mass of water or ice particles visible in the sky
The sun was almost entirely obscured by cloud.
Synonyms
mist,
fog,
haze,
obscurity,
vapour,
nebula,
murk,
darkness,
gloom,
nebulosity
in the sense of film
There was a sort of film over my eyes.
Synonyms
haze,
cloud,
blur,
mist,
veil,
opacity,
haziness,
mistiness
in the sense of fog
Definition
a mass of droplets of condensed water vapour suspended in the air, often greatly reducing visibility