also: けむになる
expression, godan verb (-ru)
go up in smoke; burn down; be cremated; vanish into thin air
Literal and figurative: something burns completely and turns to smoke, or disappears without a trace. The figurative use is common for plans, hopes, or money that come to nothing.
家が火事で煙になってしまった。
The house went up in smoke in the fire.
彼の計画
All his plans vanished into thin air.