vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz How to pronounce vaporize (audio)
vaporized; vaporizing

transitive verb

1
: to convert (as by the application of heat or by spraying) into vapor
2
: to cause to become dissipated
3
: to destroy by or as if by converting into vapor
a tank vaporized by a shell
vaporizable adjective
vaporization noun

Examples of vaporize in a Sentence

Heat is used to vaporize the liquid. Pressure causes the chemical to vaporize.
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.
In a lab nestled between the jagged peaks of the Austrian Alps, rare earth metals vaporize and spew out of an oven at the speed of a fighter jet. Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024 The comet reached its perihelion on Monday at 7:30 a.m. ET and was completely vaporized after passing within 1% of Earth’s distance from the sun, less than 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) away from the star, according to NASA. Taylor Nicioli, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024 In 1952, the United States vaporized an entire island in the Pacific’s Enewetak Atoll with a hydrogen bomb. Salama Udaipurwala, JSTOR Daily, 30 Oct. 2024 The rest was vaporized or otherwise destroyed by the blast. Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for vaporize 

Word History

Etymology

vapor entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaporize was in 1803

Dictionary Entries Near vaporize

Cite this Entry

“Vaporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaporize. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

vaporize

verb
va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz How to pronounce vaporize (audio)
vaporized; vaporizing
: to turn from a liquid or solid into vapor
vaporization noun

Medical Definition

vaporize

verb
va·​por·​ize
variants also British vaporise
vaporized also British vaporised; vaporizing also British vaporising

transitive verb

: to convert from a liquid or solid into a vapor
vaporized plaque in an artery with laser treatment
vaporizable adjective
also British vaporisable

More from Merriam-Webster on vaporize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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