Word.ws English Dictionary

smoke wagon

Syllables: smoke wa·gonUK/ˈsməʊk ˌwæɡ(ə)n/US/ˈsmoʊk ˌwæɡən/

smoke wagon noun: a vehicle that generates smoke; specifically, an automobile or a train.

smoke wagon: a vehicle that generates smoke; specifically, an automobile or a train
Image: Colt's Patent Firearms Mfg. Co, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

smoke wagon (plural smoke wagons)

  1. (US, archaic, slang) A vehicle that generates smoke; specifically, an automobile or a train.
    • If you gwine afoot, it'll take you about a day; if you gwine in de stage or de homneybuss, you make it in half a day; but if you get in one ob dese smoke-waggons, you be almost dar now!1852 December 25 (week ending), “Random Readings”, in Family Herald: A Domestic Magazine of Useful Information and Amusement, volume X, number 503, London: George Biggs, […], →OCLC, page 560, column 1
    • The village priests were seen to go to and fro by train, and the simple country folk thought that what they did could not be wrong. By degrees the peasants themselves began to try the "smoke-wagons" too, […]1888 August, David Ker, “A Wonderful Railroad”, in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, volume LXXVII, number CCCCLIX, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 483
  2. (US, archaic, slang) A handgun, especially a revolver.
    • […] Bourcey, the blacksmith, who was fitting on a mule's shoe, returned with the shoe at the end of the tongs, and, thrusting it into the fire, began blowing the bellows. It was laughable to see the stampede among the redskins when they saw this ominous maneuver—they thought he was going to fire...1858 (date written), William P. Seville, “[June 27, 1858]”, in John W. N. Schulz, editor, Narrative of the March of Co. A, Engineers from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to Fort Bridger, Utah, and Return...
    • The boss of construction across the river is a little sawed off individual named Nelson, and to see him standing like Napoleon, on the huge fill which issues above the river, with a great big smoke wagon, pointed forward, strapped to his leg and pulling him over sideways from its weight; is a...1909 January 17 (date written), Galbraith, “An Irishman’s View of Mexico”, in W. B. Marquis [et al.], editors, The Stentor, volume XXIII, number 17, Lake Forest, Ill.: The Lake Forester Press [for...

Examples of smoke wagon in a sentence

  • Indians of Idaho are losing their superstitious feeling about the "smoke wagon," as they call an automobile, and the rush to get machines has started among the more intelligent and wealthy tribesmen.1913 October 17, “Idaho Indians Take to Autos: Two Enterprising Nez Perces Start Rush for ‘Smoke Wagons’”, in The Carlisle Arrow, volume X...
  • [T]he President said nothing on how to protect our lungs from the some 70 million smoke wagons currently on the road.1970 February 11, “The environment: clean up or patch up?”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN...
  • It was laughable to see the stampede among the redskins when they saw this ominous maneuver—they thought he was going to fire the "smoke wagon."1858 (date written), William P. Seville, “[June 27, 1858]”, in John W. N. Schulz, editor, Narrative of the March of Co. A, Engineers from...
  • Bain says we could have our smoke wagons after a week, by which time he figured we got this worm out of our brains.1911 February, Herbert Corey, “Lonesomeness”, in Pearson’s Magazine, American edition, volume 25, number 2, New York, N.Y.: The Pearson...

Forms of smoke wagon

pluralsmoke wagons
alternative formsmoke-wagon

Origin of smoke wagon

From smoke + wagon, probably a humorous reference to a conveyance or implement which “carries” or generates smoke.

Questions about smoke wagon

What does smoke wagon mean?
Smoke wagon means a vehicle that generates smoke; specifically, an automobile or a train.
How do you use smoke wagon in a sentence?
Indians of Idaho are losing their superstitious feeling about the "smoke wagon," as they call an automobile, and the rush to get machines has started among the more intelligent and wealthy tribesmen.
What part of speech is smoke wagon?
Smoke wagon is a noun.
How do you pronounce smoke wagon?
Smoke wagon is pronounced /ˈsməʊk ˌwæɡ(ə)n/ (UK).
What is the plural of smoke wagon?
The plural of smoke wagon is smoke wagons.

Words near smoke wagon in the dictionary

  1. smoke tower
  2. smoke towers
  3. smoke tree
  4. smoke trees
  5. smoke up
  6. smoke wagon
  7. smoke wagons
  8. smoke wrench
  9. smoke wrenches
  10. smoke-blower
  11. smoke-blowers

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: smoke wagon (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-smoke wagon.ogg.

Cite this entry: “smoke wagon.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/smoke_wagon. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.