fumes

Thân thiện

A car's exhaust pipe emits thick black fumes into the air.

Definition

Noun (plural form, used with a plural verb) 1. Gases, vapors, or smoke, especially when unpleasant, harmful, or strong-smelling, ejected as waste products. This typically refers to visible or invisible emissions from engines, industrial processes, or chemical reactions.

Usage

The word "fumes" is almost always used in its plural form to describe these gaseous emissions collectively. It implies they are unwanted, potentially dangerous, and often have a noticeable odor. * It is commonly paired with verbs like: emit, produce, inhale, be exposed to, fill with. * It is commonly modified by adjectives describing their source or nature: toxic, exhaust, chemical, gasoline, paint.

Examples

• General Use:
  • The fumes from the factory chimney were visible for miles.
  • Always ensure good ventilation when using solvents to avoid breathing the fumes.
• Specific Context (Automotive):
  • The car's faulty exhaust system was leaking dangerous fumes into the cabin.
  • Diesel fumes are a significant contributor to urban air pollution.

Advanced Usage

• "To be fuming" (Idiomatic - Verb): To be extremely angry. This is a figurative use derived from the idea of emitting emotional "heat" or "smoke" like a boiling liquid.
  • She was fuming after the meeting was canceled at the last minute.
• "Fumes" as a metaphorical source: Sometimes used to describe an intoxicating or overwhelming abstract influence.
  • He made the decision in the fumes of his initial excitement, without thinking it through.

Variants and Related Words

• Fume (verb): 1. To emit fumes. 2. To be visibly angry or agitated.
• Fumigation (noun): The process of using fumes, especially of certain chemicals, to disinfect or purify an area.
• Fumy (adjective): Full of or producing fumes. (Less common)

Synonyms

• Emissions: A more neutral, technical term for substances discharged.
• Vapors: Gaseous substances, often from a liquid, not necessarily harmful.
• Exhaust: Specifically refers to waste gases from an engine or process.
• Smoke: Visible particles in the air, typically from burning.

Related Phrases

• Fumes of [something]: Used to indicate the source or nature of the fumes.
  • The fumes of sulfur filled the laboratory.
• Overcome by fumes: To be made ill or unconscious by inhaling fumes.
  • The firefighters were nearly overcome by fumes in the basement.

Học thuật

Noun

1. gases ejected from an engine as waste products

Từ đồng nghĩa

• exhaust
• exhaust fumes