aerate

verb

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aer·ate | \ ˈer-ˌāt

aerated; aerating

Definition of aerate

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

3a British : carbonate sense 2

b : to make light or sparkling

Other Words from aerate Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about aerate

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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.

Examples of aerate in a Sentence

You should aerate the soil before planting the seeds.

Recent Examples on the Web One is having patients lie in different positions — including on their stomachs — to allow different parts of the lung to aerate better. — Mike Stobbe, Anchorage Daily News, "Some doctors moving away from ventilators for virus patients," 12 Apr. 2020 One activity that is recommended right now is to aerate and top dress the lawn. — ExpressNews.com, "What to do now to get your lawn ready for summer in San Antonio," 5 Mar. 2020 Traditionally, recipes ask you to sift ingredients as a way to aerate them and guarantee consistency between cup measurements, since cups of unsifted flour will vary widely in weight depending on how tightly the flour was packed in the bag. — Michelle Lopez, Bon Appétit, "The Baking Step You Can (Pretty Much Always) Skip," 23 Oct. 2019 The fish’s thick, spongy, and highly vascular air bladder behaves like a lung to aerate the alligator gar’s blood. — National Geographic, "Alligator gar," 25 Feb. 2020 Bodies are covered with wood chips and aerated, providing the perfect environment for naturally occurring microbes and beneficial bacteria. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Human Composting Wants To Make Death More Green," 10 Dec. 2019 This stainless steel tool has a worm-like squiggle at the bottom that allows you to twist it like a corkscrew to mix and aerate your pile. — Popular Science, "Four essentials for composting outdoors," 30 Apr. 2020 The Yimby features a pair of adjoining, aerated drums with a combined capacity of 37 gallons, one each for organic waste at different stages of decomposition to produce a steady flow of compost to your garden soil. — Sean Piccoli, NBC News, "Best composting bins to buy in 2020, according to experts," 21 Apr. 2020 One is having patients lie in different positions — including on their stomachs — to allow different parts of the lung to aerate better. — Mike Stobbe, Houston Chronicle, "Some doctors moving away from ventilators for virus patients," 9 Apr. 2020

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.