# smoke out

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/smoke-out
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To expose (something or somebody).

## Examples

- The police hope to smoke out the thief.
- The detective used clever questions to smoke out the person who stole the money.
- The journalist published the controversial report specifically to smoke out the corrupt officials hiding within the department.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.