vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz How to pronounce vaporize (audio)
vaporized; vaporizing

transitive verb

1
: to convert (as by the application of heat or by spraying) into vapor
2
: to cause to become dissipated
3
: to destroy by or as if by converting into vapor
a tank vaporized by a shell
vaporizable adjective
vaporization noun

Examples of vaporize in a Sentence

Heat is used to vaporize the liquid. Pressure causes the chemical to vaporize.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some of these droplets vaporize into aluminum oxide aerosol, while others scatter and cool down, eventually drifting to the ground in the form of nano- and micrometer-sized bits of aluminum. Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 5 May 2025 The explosion of research momentum, money and hype vaporized the already-porous boundaries between NLP and AI. John Pavlus, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025 Those numbers set up financial markets for another precipitous fall after stocks on Thursday suffered their biggest one-day drops since 2020, vaporizing roughly $2 trillion in investor wealth, according to FactSet. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025 Yeezy still having the juice to pull a Super Bowl swastika-merch bait-and-switch routine says no offense ever totally vaporizes anyone’s standing. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for vaporize

Word History

Etymology

vapor entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of vaporize was in 1803

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Vaporize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vaporize. Accessed 28 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

vaporize

verb
va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz How to pronounce vaporize (audio)
vaporized; vaporizing
: to turn from a liquid or solid into vapor
vaporization noun

Medical Definition

vaporize

verb
va·​por·​ize
variants also British vaporise
vaporized also British vaporised; vaporizing also British vaporising

transitive verb

: to convert from a liquid or solid into a vapor
vaporized plaque in an artery with laser treatment
vaporizable adjective
also British vaporisable

More from Merriam-Webster on vaporize

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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