vapor

noun va·por \ ˈvā-pər \

Definition of vapor

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

2 a :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

3 a :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

See vapor defined for English-language learners

See vapor defined for kids

vapor was our Word of the Day on 08/23/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of vapor from the Web

In a process called transpiration, plants release water vapor from small pores on the underside of their leaves.

— ilima loomis, Science | AAAS, "Trees in the Amazon make their own rain," 4 Aug. 2017
Sixty-seven of them have failed in some way and allowed waste or vapors to seep out.

— michael lewis, The Hive, "Why the Scariest Nuclear Threat May Be Coming from Inside the White House," 2 Aug. 2017
Atmospheric vapor is drawn and locked into skin for 72 hours with this 30 percent hyaluronic acid formula.

— courtney brunson, Allure, "Water Is the Essence of Wetness and Also of These Innovative Moisturizers," 11 July 2017
Sources: industrial facilities, power plants, motor vehicles, gas vapors, and solvents.

— james bruggers, The Courier-Journal, "Hey, there's an app for that: Asthma attack risk covers much of Louisville," 28 June 2017
A few minutes after launching the rocket, NASA will release ten soda-can-sized canisters containing blue-green and red vapor to form artificial clouds, the space agency explained on its website.

— CBS News, "NASA launching colorful clouds over the East Coast – here's how to watch," 12 June 2017
And like the GTX 1080, the Xbox One X features swanky vapor chamber cooling technology.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "Microsoft's Xbox One X is the most powerful console ever, backed by an army of games," 11 June 2017
The very thought of flip-flops at a funeral is giving her a case of the vapors.)

— carrie lee, Southern Living, "Why Every Southern Woman Needs a Funeral Dress," 29 May 2017
Astronomers have spotted water vapor and evidence of exotic clouds in the atmosphere of an alien planet known as HAT-P-26b.

— mike wall, Scientific American, "Astronomers Find Water and Weird Clouds on Extrasolar 'Warm Neptune'," 13 May 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.

Origin and Etymology of vapor

Middle English vapour, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French vapor, vapour, borrowed from Latin vapor, earlier vapōs "exhalation, steam, warmth," perhaps akin to Lithuanian kvãpas "smell, scent"

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First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

vapor

verb

Definition of vapor

vapored; vaporing play \ˈvā-p(ə-)riŋ\

intransitive verb

1 a :to rise or pass off in vapor

b :to emit vapor

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

—

vaporer

play \-pər-ər\ noun

Examples of vapor in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of vapor from the Web

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, "Cold Therapy? Maybe Better Save Your Money," 2 Jan. 2017

Did You Know?

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.

First Known Use of vapor

15th century

vapor Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

bluster, harangue, puff; pride; gush; exult, glory, rejoice; brandish, display, exhibit, expose, flaunt, glorify, parade, show off; magnify, maximize

Near Antonyms

belittle, deprecate, diminish, discount, laugh off, minimize, play down, pooh-pooh (also pooh), shrug off, underrate, undervalue; bemoan, lament, mourn, regret

VAPOR Defined for English Language Learners

vapor

noun

Definition of vapor for English Language Learners

: a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air

VAPOR Defined for Kids

vapor

noun va·por \ ˈvā-pər \

Definition of vapor for Students

1 :fine bits (as of fog or smoke) floating in the air and clouding it

2 :a substance in the form of a gas

water vapor

Medical Dictionary

vapor

noun va·por

variants: or chiefly British vapour play \ˈvā-pər\

medical Definition of vapor

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

b :a substance (as alcohol or benzoin) vaporized for industrial, therapeutic, or military uses

2 vapors or chiefly British vapours plural

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

b :a depressed or hysterical nervous condition

Learn More about vapor

See words that rhyme with vapor Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for vapor Spanish Central: Translation of vapor Nglish: Translation of vapor for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of vapor for Arabic speakers

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vapor was our Word of the Day on 08/23/2013. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of vapor from the Web

Origin and Etymology of vapor

vapor

Definition of vapor

vaporer

Examples of vapor in a Sentence

Recent Examples of vapor from the Web

Did You Know?

First Known Use of vapor

vapor Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

VAPOR Defined for English Language Learners

vapor

Definition of vapor for English Language Learners

VAPOR Defined for Kids

vapor

Definition of vapor for Students

Medical Dictionary

vapor

medical Definition of vapor

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