respirator

res·pi·ra·tor | \ ˈre-spə-ˌrā-tər

Definition of respirator

1 : a device worn over the mouth and nose to protect the respiratory tract by filtering out dangerous substances (such as dusts or fumes) from inhaled air

2 : a device for maintaining artificial respiration

Examples of respirator in a Sentence

The doctors put her on a respirator.

Recent Examples on the Web The Never Trumper Republicans, though on respirators with not many left, are in certain ways worse and more dangerous for our Country than the Do Nothing Democrats. — al, "Mob rule: Brooks and Byrne prove their loyalty to Trump," 23 Oct. 2019 The disintegration of the brain tissue had occurred after the boy’s death as his body was maintained on a respirator for two days until organs could be procured. — Los Angeles Times, "In the rush to harvest body parts, death investigations have been upended," 13 Oct. 2019 Roughly 10 days passed before McKay got fitted with a respirator. — Jerry Carino, USA TODAY, "'Insane, stabbing, burning pain': Ground zero workers still battling 9/11 health problems," 10 Sep. 2019 There are a range of respirators that are a step up from the basic N95 filter. — Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Don’t forget your medications when building your disaster plan," 1 Sep. 2019 If the index is higher than 500, the use of the respirators is required. — Camille Von Kaenel, The Mercury News, "California passes emergency rule for outdoor workers exposed to wildfire smoke," 22 July 2019 Hutchins has entered the cave dozens of times to collect data, wearing a full respirator. — Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, "The Changing Climate Inside the World’s Largest Bat Colony," 6 Aug. 2019 No efforts were made to contain the asbestos; no warnings were posted; and the workers were not wearing respirators and not all were certified to handle this kind of asbestos, the records stated. — Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, "Contractor who mishandled asbestos in Alexandria project fined $15,000," 10 Aug. 2019 On some days in June and July the smoke in Fairbanks was so thick that my neighbor, who has asthma, had to wear a respirator mask. — Nancy Fresco, The Conversation, "Huge wildfires in the Arctic and far North send a planetary warning," 14 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'respirator.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near respirator

respiration

respirational

respiration calorimeter

respirator

respiratorium

respiratory arrest

respiratory distress syndrome

Statistics for respirator

Last Updated

17 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for respirator

The first known use of respirator was in 1836

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More Definitions for respirator

respirator

noun

English Language Learners Definition of respirator

: a device that you wear over your mouth and nose so that you can breathe when there is a lot of dust, smoke, etc., in the air

medical : a device that helps people to breathe when they are not able to breathe naturally

See the full definition for respirator in the English Language Learners Dictionary

respirator

noun

res·pi·ra·tor | \ ˈre-spə-ˌrā-tər

Kids Definition of respirator

1 : a device covering the mouth or nose especially to prevent the breathing in of harmful substances (as dust or fumes)

2 : a device used for helping a person to breathe

respirator

noun

res·pi·ra·tor | \ ˈres-pə-ˌrāt-ər

Medical Definition of respirator

1 : a device (as a gas mask) worn over the mouth and nose to protect the respiratory system by filtering out dangerous substances (as dust or fumes) from inhaled air

2 : a device for maintaining artificial respiration a mechanical respirator

— called also ventilator