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An electronic cigarette, also known as e-cigarette among other names, is a handheld battery-powered vaporizer that simulates tobacco smoking without burning tobacco. Using an e-cigarette is called "vaping" and the user is called a "vaper." Instead of cigarette smoke, the user inhales an aerosol, commonly called vapor. E-cigarettes typically have a heating element that atomizes a liquid solution called e-liquid. Some e-cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes, but they come in many variations. E-liquids usually contain propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavorings, additives, and differing amounts of contaminants.

The benefits and the health risks of e-cigarettes are uncertain; including the long-term effects. There is tentative evidence they may help people quit smoking, but smoking cessation medicine is at least as effective. Because of the risk of nicotine addiction, there is concern that young people may start smoking cigarettes. Their part in tobacco harm reduction is unclear. Regulated US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) nicotine replacement products are safer than e-cigarettes, but e-cigarettes are likely safer than tobacco products. The risk of early death is like that of smokeless tobacco. The risk from serious adverse events is low. In 2019 and 2020, an outbreak of severe vaping lung illness in the US was strongly linked to vitamin E acetate by CDC.

E-cigarettes create vapor made of fine and ultrafine particles of particulate matter, which contain propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, flavors, small amounts of toxicants, carcinogens, heavy metals, metal nanoparticles, and other substances. Its exact composition varies, and depends on e-liquid contents, the device design, and user behavior, among other factors. E-cigarette vapor contains fewer toxic chemicals, in lower concentrations, than cigarette smoke, but does potentially contain harmful chemicals not found in tobacco smoke. The vapor is probably much less harmful to users and bystanders than cigarette smoke, although concern exists that the exhaled vapor may be inhaled by non-users, particularly indoors.

The entered the market in 2003. In a 2014, about 13% of American high school students reported using them at least once in the previous month, and in 2015 around 10% of American adults were users. In the UK, users have increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 2.6 million in 2015. About 60% of UK users are smokers and about 40% are ex-smokers, while use among never-smokers in the UK is negligible. Most peoples' reason for using e-cigarettes involve trying to quit smoking, though a large proportion use them recreationally. Because of overlap with tobacco laws and medical drug policies, e-cigarette legislation is being debated in many countries. The revised EU Tobacco Products Directive came into effect in May 2016, providing stricter regulations for e-cigarettes. As of August 2016, the US FDA extended its regulatory power to include e-cigarettes. Large tobacco companies have greatly increased their marketing efforts. As of 2014, there were 466 brands of e-cigarettes. Global sales were around $19.3 billion in 2019.