evaporate

verb

evap·​o·​rate i-ˈva-p(ə-)ˌrāt 

evaporated; evaporating

transitive verb

1

a

: to convert into vapor

also : to dissipate or draw off in vapor or fumes

b

: to deposit (a substance, such as a metal) in the form of a film by sublimation

2

a

: to expel moisture from

b

: expel

evaporate electrons from a hot wire

intransitive verb

1

a

: to pass off in vapor or in minute particles

b(1)

: to pass off or away : disappear

her ardor evaporated

(2)

: to diminish quickly

2

: to give forth vapor

evaporative

i-ˈva-pə-ˌrā-tiv 

adjective

evaporator

i-ˈva-pə-ˌrā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• dematerialize
• disappear
• dissolve
• evanesce
• fade
• flee
• fly
• melt
• sink
• vanish

Examples of evaporate in a Sentence

Let the liquid start to evaporate.

The heat evaporated the water.

The opportunity evaporated before he could act on it.

Recent Examples on the Web

Like many musicians whose tours evaporated overnight because of the pandemic lockdown that began in early 2020, Hancock found himself with unplanned time on his hands. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024

That advantage slowly evaporated, however as Utica City scored two in the third period and one early in the fourth while the Comets’ offense fell silent in the second half of regulation. —Nathan Dunn, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2024

Donald Trump’s net wealth is evaporating fast as stock in the parent company of Truth Social plunges to fresh depths since its recent market debut. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024

One by one, nearly every allegation in the case evaporated. —Tamara Audi, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Since the advent of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1992 and the creation of the World Trade Organization a year later, manufacturing jobs in the United States have evaporated. —Terry W. Hartle, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024

Many Iranians have seen their life savings evaporate as the local currency has depreciated. —Amir Vahdat, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024

As warm air from a room passes over the evaporator coils, the refrigerant absorbs the ambient heat, evaporates and carries away the heat through a condenser unit that sits outside a building. —Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024

The beleaguered government called a 72-hour state of emergency, including a night-time curfew — but its authority had evaporated by then. —Patrick Smith, NBC News, 15 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin evaporatus, past participle of evaporare, from e- + vapor steam, vapor

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

evaporate

verb

evap·​o·​rate i-ˈvap-ə-ˌrāt 

evaporated; evaporating

1

: to pass off or cause to pass off into vapor from a liquid state

2

: to pass off or away : disappear

felt the excitement evaporate

3

: to remove some of the water from (as by heating)

evaporator

-ˌrāt-ər 

noun