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 of evaporate

• disappear
• vanish
• fade
• melt

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

The Treasury Department intervened midweek to help, but, by Friday, the relief had evaporated. — CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026

And then there’s that Omius headband, which uses graphite blocks to pull heat away from the skin as water evaporates. — Nadia Neophytou, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026

By the time the dust settled, some $230 million dedicated to fight global polio had evaporated. — Eli Cahan, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2026

The evaporating tariff windfall was a $200 billion hit to this year’s budget. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for evaporate

• abbreviate
• accelerate
• accommodate
• accumulate
• acuminate
• adjudicate
• adulterate
• affiliate
• agglomerate
• agglutinate
• alleviate
• amalgamate

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