aerosolize

verb

aero·​sol·​ize ˈer-ə-ˌsä-ˌlīz 

-ˌsȯ-,

-sə-

aerosolized; aerosolizing; aerosolizes

transitive verb

: to disperse (something) as an aerosol : to convert or form into an aerosol

… high-energy laser pulses vaporize or aerosolize thin layers from the surface of a bulk sample …

—Nancy H. McGuire

… a battery-powered device that aerosolizes nicotine for inhalation but does not burn tobacco.

—Nancy A. Rigotti

Spraying cleaning products into a shower stall and then turning on hot water aerosolizes all those chemicals into everything from bathroom walls to fabric.

—Kathryn Matthews

aerosolized adjective

aerosolized medications

Infection in humans occurs after inhalation of aerosolized virus or direct contact with infected rodents or their excreta.

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

Examples of aerosolize in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So there are things that grow deep in the soil or grow in the insides of plants and not things that would generally be aerosolized just by wind. More on Microbes How Microbes Help Clean Our Environment PM: How do these microbes get swept up in wildland fire smoke? —Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 8 June 2023

Vaping As a Matter of Public Health Unlike traditional cigarettes, vapes or e-cigarettes function by aerosolizing a liquid cartridge that usually contains flavoring and nicotine—the same addictive substance in regular tobacco products. —Julia Landwehr, Health, 10 May 2023

Many health care providers initially hesitated to use such interventions for fear the pressurized air would aerosolize the virus and endanger health care workers. —Andrew Jacobs, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2020

The swab up the nose can aerosolize the virus to spread on air currents, potentially infecting others. —Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 11 June 2020

Oils from frying and sautéing can aerosolize (that’s how your counters end up with a fine layer of grease on them). —Brianna Barbu, Discover Magazine, 7 July 2021

Research shows that a toilet flush can aerosolize pathogens, spreading them to nearby surfaces. —Mikhail Klimentov, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2022

Fires aerosolize pollutants, propelling chemicals and particulate matter into the atmosphere, which then falls as a kind of toxic snow. —WIRED, 19 Oct. 2022

The agency didn’t finalize a rule for regulating vaping devices—which heat and aerosolize nicotine e-liquids, hopefully providing a less-dangerous version of a traditional cigarette—until 2016. —Jamie Ducharme, Time, 3 Sep. 2021

Word History

Etymology

aerosol + -ize

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

aerosolize

transitive verb

aero·​sol·​ize ˈar-ə-ˌsäl-ˌīz, ˈer-, -ˌsȯl- 

aerosolized; aerosolizing

: to disperse (as a medicine, bactericide, or insecticide) as an aerosol

aerosolized pentamidine, which is sprayed directly into the lungs

—C. C. Mann

aerosolizer noun