exhausted; exhausting; exhausts
1
a
: to consume entirely : use up
exhausted our funds in a week
b
: to tire extremely or completely
exhausted by overwork
c
: to deprive of a valuable quality or constituent
exhaust a soil of fertility
2
a
: to draw off or let out completely
b
: to empty by drawing off the contents
specifically
: to create a vacuum in
3
a
: to consider or discuss (a subject) thoroughly or completely
b
: to try out the whole number of
exhausted all the possibilities
1
a
: the escape of used gas or vapor from an engine
b
: the gas or vapor thus escaping
2
a
: the conduit through which used gases escape
b
: an arrangement for removing fumes, dusts, or odors from an enclosure
3
Synonyms
Examples of exhaust in a Sentence
Verb
If they keep spending this way, they'll exhaust their savings.
He can talk about baseball for hours and still feel that he hasn't exhausted the subject.
Noun
diesel exhaust from passing trucks
There's a problem with the car's exhaust.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lisa Miller, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Rather than exhaust yourself, let a robot vacuum do all the work.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The bullpen has been exhausted and unable to keep leads when needed.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Current Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted, as Russian troops are now on the offensive, two years into its full-scale invasion.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
So, after watching Glasnow exhaust every tantalizing weapon in his highly touted arsenal, Roberts let his new ace relax for the night’s final couple of innings.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The court dismissed the Portuguese case on the basis that the claimants had not exhausted all legal avenues in their national court system first.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Even when just about every type of silhouette or shape has been exhausted by designers of yesteryear, Adusei manages to develop exciting forms and off-the-cuff details that separate his clothes from the rest.
—Indya Brown, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
The only Mountain West player in the game for seniors who have exhausted their eligibility finished with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go with four assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Electric vehicles have far fewer parts than gasoline cars — no radiators, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, fan belts or complicated gearboxes.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The interior was outfitted with mushroom leather, and the body was painted midnight blue, with L.E.D. lights in the now ornamental exhaust pipes.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Common sources of the carcinogen in indoor and outdoor air include building materials, furniture, garages (thanks to car exhaust), heating and cooking systems, and cigarette smoking.
—Jessica Chia, SELF, 12 Mar. 2024
The pungent black smoke from his exhaust pipe gave him headaches.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
Pre-injections prime the cylinder to increase combustion rates, which translates to cleaner exhaust.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The exhaust system also offers selectable modes: quiet, normal, sport and Baja.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the spring of 2021, with Americans exhausted and edgy and many only recently vaccinated, Sole-Smith emerged as a voice of reassurance.
—Lisa Miller, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
Rather than exhaust yourself, let a robot vacuum do all the work.
—Toni Sutton, Peoplemag, 17 Apr. 2024
The bullpen has been exhausted and unable to keep leads when needed.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024
Current Ukrainian soldiers are exhausted, as Russian troops are now on the offensive, two years into its full-scale invasion.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 12 Apr. 2024
So, after watching Glasnow exhaust every tantalizing weapon in his highly touted arsenal, Roberts let his new ace relax for the night’s final couple of innings.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The court dismissed the Portuguese case on the basis that the claimants had not exhausted all legal avenues in their national court system first.
—Laura Paddison, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Even when just about every type of silhouette or shape has been exhausted by designers of yesteryear, Adusei manages to develop exciting forms and off-the-cuff details that separate his clothes from the rest.
—Indya Brown, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
The only Mountain West player in the game for seniors who have exhausted their eligibility finished with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go with four assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
The short clip is a quick teaser but does include a glimpse of its silhouette and a preview of its exhaust note.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Electric vehicles have far fewer parts than gasoline cars — no radiators, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, fan belts or complicated gearboxes.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The interior was outfitted with mushroom leather, and the body was painted midnight blue, with L.E.D. lights in the now ornamental exhaust pipes.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Common sources of the carcinogen in indoor and outdoor air include building materials, furniture, garages (thanks to car exhaust), heating and cooking systems, and cigarette smoking.
—Jessica Chia, SELF, 12 Mar. 2024
The pungent black smoke from his exhaust pipe gave him headaches.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
Pre-injections prime the cylinder to increase combustion rates, which translates to cleaner exhaust.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The exhaust system also offers selectable modes: quiet, normal, sport and Baja.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhaust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near exhaust
Cite this Entry
“Exhaust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaust. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
exhaust
1 of 2 verb
ex·haust
ig-ˈzȯst 
1
2
a
: to draw off or let out completely
exhaust the air from the jar
b
: to empty by drawing something from
3
: to try out all of
they exhausted all possibilities
exhaust
2 of 2 noun1
: the gas that escapes from an engine
2
: a system of pipes through which exhaust escapes
Medical Definition
exhaust
transitive verb
ex·haust
ig-ˈzȯst
1
a
: to draw off or let out completely
b
: to empty by drawing off the contents
specifically
: to create a vacuum in
2
a
: to use up : consume completely
b
: to tire extremely or completely
exhausted by overwork
3
: to extract completely with a solvent
exhaust a drug with alcohol
Legal Definition
exhaust
transitive verb
ex·haust
: to use up or consume entirely: as
a
: to try all of (available remedies)
the applicant has exhausted the remedies available in the courts of the State—U.S. Code
U.S. Code
b
: to bring (a claim) through all available prior levels of review
each of his claims would now be exhausted—W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
W. R. LaFave and J. H. IsraelLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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