evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion i-ˌva-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: the act or process of evaporating:

a

: change from a liquid to a vapor

evaporation of water

But warming increases the evaporation of ocean water, which could increase the snowfall on the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, remove water from the ocean, and lower sea level.

—Jack M. Hollander

b

: the vanishing or disappearance of something

The pope's attempt to arrest the evaporation of the Christian tradition in Europe was also unsuccessful.

—Conrad Black

No longer a machine that accelerates the evaporation of resources, in the Roman context the banquet becomes a theatre of wealth and property, of social distinction, or social-climbing.

—James N. Davidson

Examples of evaporation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The higher-grade fuel, designed to guard against evaporation as temperatures rise, can add up to 15 cents per gallon to the cost of a filling up, according to GasBuddy. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 20 May 2026

Compared to bare soil, which loses up to 75% of its moisture due to runoff and evaporation, a layer of mulch around your plants can increase humidity levels, block weeds, and moderate soil temperature, reducing water needs. —Molly Burford, Southern Living, 18 May 2026

Vessels rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope add 3,500 nautical miles and lose helium volume to evaporation on the way. —Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026

It is mined from evaporite deposits formed by the evaporation of mineral-rich water and is later processed into a white, water-soluble powder, says pest control expert Tony King. —Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 17 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for evaporation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion

i-ˌvap-ə-ˈrā-shən

: the process of evaporating

Medical Definition

evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion i-ˌvap-ə-ˈrā-shən 

: the change by which any substance is converted from a liquid state into and carried off in vapor

specifically : the conversion of a liquid into vapor in order to remove it wholly or partly from a liquid of higher boiling point or from solids dissolved in or mixed with it

evaporate

i-ˈvap-ə-ˌrāt 

verb

evaporated; evaporating

evaporator

-ˌrāt-ər 

noun