I. haze 1 /heɪz/ BrE AmE noun [singular, uncountable]
[ Date: 1700-1800 ; Origin: Probably from hazy ]
1 . smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to see through
haze of
a haze of cigarette smoke
The sun was surrounded by a golden haze.
2 . the feeling of being very confused and unable to think clearly:
a drunken haze
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THESAURUS
▪ cloud noun [uncountable and countable] a white or grey mass in the sky that forms from very small drops of water:
The storm was still a way off but black clouds were gathering.
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Thick cloud obscured the top of the hill.
▪ fog noun [uncountable and countable] very thick cloud near the ground which is difficult to see through:
The cars crashed into each other in thick fog.
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The fog had lifted (=disappeared) slightly.
▪ mist noun [uncountable and countable] light cloud near the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far. Mist is usually not as thick as fog . You often get mist near areas of water or mountains:
The morning mist was lifting and the sun was coming up.
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A grey mist hung over the water.
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The hills were shrouded in mist (=surrounded by mist) .
▪ haze noun [singular, uncountable] smoke, dust, or mist in the air which is difficult to see through:
He saw the horses coming towards him through a haze of dust.
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The road shimmered in the heat haze.
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A pale blue haze hung over the far-off mountains.
▪ smog noun [uncountable and countable] dirty air that looks like a mixture of smoke and fog, caused by smoke from cars and factories in cities:
The city is covered in smog for much of the year.
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A smog warning was issued for parts of Southern Oregon.
▪ thundercloud noun [countable] a large dark cloud that you see before or during a storm:
He watched the thunderclouds roll across the valley.
▪ vapour trail British English , vapor trail American English noun [countable] the white line that is left in the sky by a plane:
High overhead, a jet left its vapour trail across the blue sky.
II. haze 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
[ Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: Probably from haze 'to frighten, punish' (17-19 centuries) , from Old French haser ]
American English to play tricks on a new student or to make them do silly or dangerous things, as part of joining the school or a club at the school
—hazing noun [uncountable] :
bizarre hazing rituals
haze over phrasal verb
to become ↑ hazy :
The sky hazed over.