Meaning & use
exhaust fumes
Last updated
Meaning
nounplural
The gases and smoke that come out of a vehicle's engine after fuel is burned.
Grammar: Always plural; there is no singular 'exhaust fume' in everyday use.
Patterns
- exhaust fumes from something
- be exposed to exhaust fumes
- reduce exhaust fumes
The bus stopped and a cloud of exhaust fumes drifted over the pavement.
Cyclists often breathe in exhaust fumes on busy roads.
New rules aim to cut exhaust fumes from older cars.
Common combinations
- car exhaust fumes
- Car exhaust fumes are a major source of city air pollution.
- diesel exhaust fumes
- Diesel exhaust fumes can irritate the eyes and throat.
- breathing in exhaust fumes
- Breathing in exhaust fumes every day is bad for your lungs.
- a cloud of exhaust fumes
- A cloud of exhaust fumes hung over the traffic.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- exhaust noun
- The pipe or system that carries waste gases away from an engine.
- exhaust pipe noun
- The metal tube at the back of a vehicle where fumes come out.
Commonly confused: exhaust fumes or exhausted?
exhaust fumes vs exhausted
This means extremely tired, not related to fumes. 'I felt exhausted after the trip.'
Practice
The old truck left a cloud of ______ behind it.
Choose one answer.
'Exhaust fumes' is the correct fixed plural noun. 'Exhausted fumes' and 'exhausting fumes' wrongly use adjective forms, and 'exhaust fume' is not used in the singular.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “exhaust fumes”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.