cancer stick

noun

slang
: cigarette
Why are women seemingly so attracted to cigarettes, also known as "coffin nails" and "cancer sticks" to some smoking foes?Daniel Tretiak

Examples of cancer stick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig E-cigarettes, long touted as a healthier way to move off the original cancer sticks, suddenly face an alarming bad rap: mysterious lung diseases; random explosions during use; a link with cancer and heart disease. Natasha Frost, Quartz, 15 Sep. 2019 Can’t even smoke my stale cancer sticks on this smoke-free campus. Alise Leslie, The Root, 1 Apr. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cancer stick was circa 1958

Dictionary Entries Near cancer stick

Cite this Entry

“Cancer stick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancer%20stick. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!