smoked

Meanings

1. 1adjectivebefore a noun

   Of food, preserved or flavored by being hung or cooked slowly in the smoke from burning wood.

   Grammar: Usually goes before a noun: smoked salmon.

   Patterns

   • smoked fish
   • smoked with something

   We had smoked salmon on toast for brunch.

   The deli sells smoked ham and cheese.

   He prefers smoked paprika in his stew.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   Darkened or tinted in color, as if by smoke, used of glass.

   Grammar: Describes glass or lenses: smoked glass.

   Patterns

   • smoked glass

   The limousine had smoked glass windows.

   She watched the eclipse through smoked glass.

   A smoked mirror hung over the bar.

3. 3verbtransitive or intransitive

   Past tense and past participle of smoke: drew in and let out smoke from tobacco, or gave off smoke.

   Grammar: Past form of smoke: He smoked a cigar. It is not an adjective in this use.

   Patterns

   • smoked something

   My grandfather smoked a pipe every evening.

   The chimney smoked all night in the damp weather.

   She smoked the trout over apple wood.

Common combinations

smoked salmon

She served smoked salmon with lemon and capers.

smoked meat

The market sells smoked meat of every kind.

smoked cheese

Smoked cheese gives the sauce a deep flavor.

smoked paprika

A teaspoon of smoked paprika changes the whole dish.

lightly smoked

The trout was lightly smoked over oak chips.

smoked glass

The shop door was made of smoked glass.

Synonyms and how they differ

cured

Cured means preserved with salt, sugar, or smoke, so it is broader than smoked.

kippered

Kippered is mostly used for split, salted, smoked fish such as herring, a narrower and more British term.

smoky

Smoky describes a taste or smell like smoke, but smoked describes food that was actually treated with smoke.

tinted

Tinted describes glass with a colored shade, while smoked glass is specifically dark gray or brown.

Opposites

Word family

smoke noun

the gray cloud given off by something burning

smoker noun

a person who smokes, or a device for smoking food

smokehouse noun

a building where meat or fish is smoked

smoky adjective

full of smoke or tasting of smoke

smoking noun

the habit of smoking cigarettes, or the process of preserving food in smoke

Commonly confused: smoked or smoky?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “smoked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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