What does "haze" mean?
Very fine solid particles (smoke, dust) or liquid droplets (moisture) suspended in the air, slightly limiting visibility. (Compare fog, mist.)
Haze
/heɪz/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Very fine solid particles (smoke, dust) or liquid droplets (moisture) suspended in the air, slightly limiting visibility. (Compare fog, mist.)
- Grammar: haze is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: fog, absentmindedness, abstraction, bait.
- Useful contrasts: accommodate, brighten, clarify.
- Usage evidence: My mind was in a haze after drinking so much.
How to use "haze"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "haze" 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 "haze" 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 "haze" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "haze" 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 "haze" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "fog" 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 "haze", 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 Very fine solid particles (smoke, dust) or liquid droplets (moisture) suspended in the air, slightly limiting visibility. (Compare fog, mist.) uncountable, usually
"Our hopes, however, soon vanished; for before eight o'clock, the serenity of the sky was changed into a thick haze, accompanied with rain."
- 2 confusion characterized by lack of clarity wordnet
- 3 A reduction of transparency of a clear gas or liquid. uncountable, usually
- 4 atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility wordnet
- 5 An analogous dullness on a surface that is ideally highly reflective or transparent. uncountable, usually
"The soap left a persistent haze on the drinking glasses."
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 Any state suggestive of haze in the atmosphere, such as mental confusion or vagueness of memory. figuratively, uncountable, usually
"And is it that the haze of grief Hath stretch’d my former joy so great? The lowness of the present state, That sets the past in this relief?"
- 7 The degree of cloudiness or turbidity in a clear glass or plastic, measured in percent. uncountable, usually
"Haze is listed as a percent value and, typically, is about 1% for meat film."
- 8 Any substance causing turbidity in beer or wine. countable, usually
"Various clarifying and fining agents are used in winemaking to remove hazes."
Verb
- 1 To be or become hazy, or thick with haze.
"Pyramids of clouds now fringed its edge, and the centre had hazed into a sandy mist."
- 2 To perform an unpleasant initiation ritual upon a usually non-consenting individual, especially freshmen to a closed community such as a college fraternity or military unit. US, informal
- 3 harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions wordnet
- 4 To oppress or harass by forcing to do hard and unnecessary work.
"[…] when the young man whirled his horse, “hazed” Jupiter in circles and belaboured him with a rawhide quirt, […] He ceased his cavortings […]"
- 5 become hazy, dull, or cloudy wordnet
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 In a rodeo, to assist the bulldogger by keeping (the steer) running in a straight line. transitive
- 7 To use aversive stimuli on (a wild animal, such as a bear) to encourage it to keep its distance from humans. transitive
"Hazing a bear involves creating a "negative experience for a bear that seeks out human food or loses its natural avoidance of humans and developed areas," the release said. That involves using non-lethal rubber shotgun slugs, or rubber rounds and noise-deterrent rounds in sequence to scare bears away, according to the release."
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given name Hazel.
Antonyms
Example
"My mind was in a haze after drinking so much."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "haze"?
Common synonyms include: fog, absentmindedness, abstraction, bait, banter, becloud.
How do you use "haze" in a sentence?
My mind was in a haze after drinking so much.
How do you pronounce "haze"?
Pronounced /heɪz/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
* The earliest instances are of the latter part of the 17th century. * Possibly back-formation from hazy. * Compare Old Norse höss (“grey”), akin to Old English hasu (“gray”).
Etymology 2
Possibly from hawze (“terrify, frighten, confound”), from Middle French haser (“irritate, annoy”)