vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

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

intransitive verb

1

: to become vaporized

2

: vapor sense 2

vaporizable

ˈvā-pə-ˌrī-zə-bəl 

adjective

vaporization

ˌvā-pər-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of vaporize in a Sentence

Heat is used to vaporize the liquid.

Pressure causes the chemical to vaporize.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noctua has advanced the technology to the point of settling on a specific chemical liquid with a low-enough boiling point to vaporize and circulate under typical CPU cooler temperatures. —John Burek, PC Magazine, 28 May 2025

The plant closures tore up communities, vaporizing what had been stable union jobs. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2025

And any illusion of stability in the garage has been vaporized by legal fumes. —Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 5 June 2025

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

Word History

Etymology

vapor entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for vaporize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

vaporized; vaporizing

: to turn from a liquid or solid into vapor

vaporization

ˌvā-pə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize

variants also British vaporise

ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

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

intransitive verb

: to become vaporized

vaporizable adjective

also British vaporisable

-ˌrī-zə-bəl