respirator

noun

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

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 Then don a face mask, or better, an N95 respirator to help reduce smoke and particle inhalation. — Claire Wolters, National Geographic, "Wildfires, explained," 11 Aug. 2019 If there’s enough crawl space, a wildlife control operator, in head-to-toe disposable coveralls and a full-face respirator, can be called to wrap the carcass in plastic and haul it to the dump. — Janet Eastman, oregonlive.com, "What to do about cougars in the neighborhood, skunks under the house, bats in the attic," 19 July 2019 Kylie received about five pints of blood and was put on a respirator. — Washington Post, "Kylie, an injured D.C. cadaver dog, is recovering after rescuers rushed her to treatment by helicopter," 17 July 2019 Some employees packed vehicles with computers and documents while others donned respirator masks and finished bottling wines from the previous year. — Michael Alberty | For The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive.com, "Columbia Gorge wineries release Eagle Creek Fire pinot noirs to raise funds for restoring hiking trails," 11 July 2019 Griffin is paralyzed from the neck down and breathes with the aid of a respirator, which was audible during Wednesday's hearing, after being shot by Duwad Spaulding in 2011. — Eric Heisig, cleveland.com, "Quadriplegic Akron man sentenced to 17 years for orchestrating drug deals from bed," 11 June 2019 So far our collective response to all this has been to buy a lot of respirators—the models capable of filtering out smoke particulates routinely sold out last summer—and not much else. — Marc Peruzzi, Outside Online, "Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay," 5 June 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

8 Sep 2019

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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