vapor

noun

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va·por | \ ˈvā-pər

Definition of vapor

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : diffused matter (such as smoke or fog) suspended floating in the air and impairing its transparency

2a : a substance in the gaseous state as distinguished from the liquid or solid state

b : a substance (such as gasoline, alcohol, mercury, or benzoin) vaporized for industrial, therapeutic, or military uses also : a mixture (such as the explosive mixture in an internal combustion engine) of such a vapor with air

3a : something unsubstantial or transitory : phantasm

b : a foolish or fanciful idea

4 vapors plural

a archaic : exhalations of bodily organs (such as the stomach) held to affect the physical or mental condition

b : a depressed or hysterical nervous condition

vapor

verb

vapored; vaporing\ ˈvā-p(ə-)riŋ

Definition of vapor (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to rise or pass off in vapor

b : to emit vapor

2 : to indulge in bragging, blustering, or idle talk

Other Words from vapor Synonyms Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about vapor

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Synonyms for vapor

Synonyms: Verb

blow,
boast,
brag,
bull
[slang],
crow,
gasconade,
swagger,
vaunt

Did You Know?

Verb

Speakers of the English language, mindful of the lightness and unsubstantiality of floating air and gas, have put several airy words to good use over the years to describe the act of talking idly or boastfully. The earliest such word is blow (as in "he kept blowing about his new job"), which drifted into English sometime about 1400. Vapor wafted into the language in the 1620s, and a little over 200 years later windbags, later also known as gasbags, not only blew and vapored but also gassed about anything they could.

Examples of vapor in a Sentence

Verb a faded Southern belle tiresomely vaporing about all the handsome beaux she had in her long-ago youth

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That’s really the point, one Turrell has made with various installations over the years: With manipulations of light and form, what’s solid appears vapor, what seems flat has dimension. — BostonGlobe.com, 8 June 2021 The leak in Amuay, Venezuela, was slow but kept leaking for more than an hour before the vapor detonated. — Washington Post, 3 June 2021 Figueroa is counting on rubidium vapor for one component of a repeater, the quantum memory. — Gabriel Popkin, Science | AAAS, 3 June 2021 Stacks of the slim devices littered every surface, lying there free for the taking—which people were doing happily, grabbing them and exhaling plumes of sweet-smelling vapor. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, 17 May 2021 The use of worm coil condensers limits the amount of copper contact the vapor receives, resulting in notable meaty aromas of bacon fat and raw steak. — Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 15 May 2021 And unapproved materials or caps can lead to dangerous vapor leaks. — Wes Siler, Outside Online, 13 May 2021 The city currently has one license for the sale of tobacco, cigarette, alternative nicotine products, alternative tobacco products and vapor products. — Steve Lord, chicagotribune.com, 13 May 2021 Two vapor clouds emitted from the rocket’s payload will generate a magnetic field perturbation, and electrons are likely to be energized, according to NASA's breakdown. — Kelly Powers, USA TODAY, 7 May 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Meanwhile, in a natural process called wicking, that moisture turns to vapor as it is continuously pulled outward from minuscule air spaces between the fibers of the felt, eventually evaporating entirely. — Emma Wartzman, Bon Appétit, 5 Nov. 2020 In the fourth, Evers used his veto in an attempt to ensure a tax on vaping products would apply to any device containing fluid and to vapor fluid sold separately. — Washington Post, 31 July 2019 In the fourth, Evers used his veto in an attempt to ensure a tax on vaping products would apply to any device containing fluid and to vapor fluid sold separately. — Washington Post, 31 July 2019 But whole body cryotherapy exposes the body for a couple of minutes to vapor that has been supercooled to somewhere between minus 200 and minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit. — Aaron E. Carroll, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2017

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