What does "fume" mean?
A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
Fume
noun, verb
noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
- Grammar: fume is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: smoke, achromatize, ado, aerate.
- Useful contrasts: absorb, calm, clear air.
- Usage evidence: Don't just sit there and fume. Tell me what's wrong.
How to use "fume"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fume" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fume" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fume" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fume" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fume" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "smoke" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fume", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
"Don't stand around in there breathing the fumes while the adhesive cures."
- 2 a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas wordnet
- 3 A material that has been vaporized from the solid or liquid state to the gas state and re-coalesced to the solid state.
"Lead fume is a greyish powder, mainly comprising lead sulfate."
- 4 Rage or excitement which deprives the mind of self-control.
"The Fumes of his Passion do as really intoxicate and confound his judging and discerning Faculty , as the Fumes of Drink discompose and stupify the Brain of a Man over - charged with it."
- 5 Anything unsubstantial or airy; idle conceit; vain imagination.
"a show of fumes and fancies"
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The incense of praise; inordinate flattery.
"to smother him with fumes and eulogies"
- 7 A passionate person. obsolete
Verb
- 1 To expose (something) to fumes; specifically, to expose wood, etc., to ammonia in order to produce dark tints. transitive
- 2 be wet with sweat or blood, as of one's face wordnet
- 3 To apply or offer incense to. transitive
"Tyrian garbs, / Neptunian Albion's high teſtaceous food [i.e., oysters], / And flavour'd Chian wines with incenſe fum'd / To ſlake Patrician thirſt: for theſe, their rights / In the vile ſtreets they proſtitute to ſale; / Their ancient rights, their dignities, their laws, / Their native glorious freedom."
- 4 be mad, angry, or furious wordnet
- 5 To emit fumes. intransitive
"where the golden altar fumed"
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 treat with fumes, expose to fumes, especially with the aim of disinfecting or eradicating pests wordnet
- 7 To pass off in fumes or vapours. intransitive
"whose parts are kept from fuming away, not only by their fixity[…]"
- 8 emit a cloud of fine particles wordnet
- 9 To express or feel great anger. figuratively
"He’s still fuming about the argument they had yesterday."
- 10 To be as in a mist; to be dulled and stupefied. figuratively, intransitive
"Keep his brain fuming."
Example
"Don't just sit there and fume. Tell me what's wrong."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fume"?
Common synonyms include: smoke, achromatize, ado, aerate, aerify, aerosol.
How do you use "fume" in a sentence?
Don't just sit there and fume. Tell me what's wrong.
Etymology
From Middle English fume, from Old French fum (“smoke, steam, vapour”), from Latin fūmus (“vapour, smoke”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰuh₂mós (“smoke”), from *dʰewh₂- (“to smoke, raise dust”). Doublet of thymus and thymos. More at dun, dusk, dust.