aerate

verb aer·ate \ ˈer-ˌāt \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of aerate

aerated; aerating

transitive verb

1 : to supply or impregnate (something, such as the soil or a liquid) with air

2 : to supply (the blood) with oxygen by respiration

3 a British : carbonate 2

b : to make light or sparkling

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aeration

play \ˌa(-ə)r-ˈā-shən, ˌe(-ə)r-\ noun

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Examples of aerate in a Sentence

You should aerate the soil before planting the seeds.

Recent Examples of aerate from the Web

In the slow second movement, tiny touches of rubato aerated the songlike solo lines.

— zoë madonna, BostonGlobe.com, "Pianist Jan Lisiecki leads a youth movement at Symphony Hall," 20 Apr. 2018
This action aerates the batter or dough, which helps lighten the final baked good during baking.

— claire saffitz, Bon Appetit, "Room-Temperature Butter: When We Say You Need It, We Mean It," 16 Apr. 2018
Garden soils used in containers will generally be slow to drain and poorly aerated, causing plants to perform poorly.

— tim johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Pick garden containers that fit your taste and space — but ensure they drain properly," 10 Apr. 2018
On Disc 7, the Gnostic Trio (harp, guitar, vibraphone) elevates and aerates Mr. Zorn’s cyclical compositions.

— jon pareles, New York Times, "The Playlist: Pearl Jam Kicks Up a Fury, and 9 More New Songs," 16 Mar. 2018
In some of Riopelle’s canvases from the late 1950s, his mosaic-like structure becomes more relaxed and flickers of white paint aerate the dense fabric of pigment, perhaps an equivalent of Mitchell’s untouched canvas zones.

— karen wilkin, WSJ, "‘Mitchell/Riopelle: Nothing in Moderation’ Review: When Lovers Collide," 12 Mar. 2018
Gokan uses a small steel cup on a long, flexible handle (venencia) to aerate the mixture before serving it over ice.

— AJC.com, "These 12 cocktails from Himitsu are inspired by the Japanese zodiac," 25 Feb. 2018
Sometimes this water is cleaned—filtered, aerated, and treated with bleach.

— amorina kingdon, Smithsonian, "How Drugged-Up Shellfish Help Scientists Understand Human Pollution," 16 Jan. 2018
This move aerates the ingredients, affecting aroma and creating texture.

— ann maloney, NOLA.com, "Hot toddy recipes for cold, cold New Orleans days," 2 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'aerate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Faucet aerators and aerating showerheads can be easily installed by homeowners to cut water (and especially hot water) use by as much as 50%. A lawn aerator removes little plugs of soil in order to let air deep into the soil, greatly improving the quality of soil that may have gotten too compacted. And a pond aerator, such as a fountain, is a necessity for an ornamental pond with no stream feeding it, since oxygen in the water is necessary to prevent the growth of algae and allow fish to live.