ventilate

verb

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ven·ti·late | \ ˈven-tə-ˌlāt

ventilated; ventilating

Definition of ventilate

transitive verb

1a : to expose to air and especially to a current of fresh air for purifying, curing, or refreshing ventilate stored grain also : oxygenate, aerate ventilate blood in the lungs

b : to subject the lungs to ventilation artificially ventilate a patient in respiratory distress

2a : to examine, discuss, or investigate freely and openly : expose ventilating family quarrels in public

b : to make public : utter ventilated their objections at length

3a of a current of air : to pass or circulate through so as to freshen

b : to cause fresh air to circulate through (a place, such as a room or a mine)

4 : to provide an opening in (a burning structure) to permit escape of smoke and heat

5 archaic : to free from chaff by winnowing

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About ventilate

Synonyms & Antonyms for ventilate

Synonyms

Antonyms

Examples of ventilate in a Sentence

She opened the windows to ventilate the room. The room was adequately ventilated.

Recent Examples on the Web Make sure to properly ventilate spaces by opening windows if outdoor air quality and weather conditions allow. — Roei Friedberg, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Window units are placed within a window frame and help ventilate and cool your home. — Theresa Holland, PEOPLE.com, 16 May 2022 Chandler fire crews on Thursday used a robot to open a door and ventilate a massive battery in Chandler that has been smoldering since Monday. — Ryan Randazzo, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2022 As the blaze in a multistory, Soviet-style apartment building grew, firefighters donned oxygen tanks on top of bulletproof vests before attempting to put out the flames from both sides of the building and ventilate the roof. — New York Times, 17 Apr. 2022 The $2 million project also adds a 5,000-gallon water tank with pump to fill trucks, and a new exhaust system to ventilate the vehicle bay. — Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2022 Observers have pointed out a high-voltage line linked to a 110-kilovolt, and ventilation points near the mountain hideout, enough to power and ventilate a small city. — Carmela Chirinos, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2022 Crews also cut holes in the roof of the garage to help ventilate the space, Scott said. — Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2022 Unlike great whites and tiger sharks, which must keep swimming to ventilate their gills, draughtsboard sharks are a species of buccal pumping sharks, which manually push water over their gills to take in oxygen while stationary. — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Mar. 2022 See More

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

History and Etymology for ventilate

Middle English, "discussed, aired," borrowed from Latin ventilātus, past participle of ventilāre "to expose to the air, fan, expose to consideration," from ventus "wind" + -ilāre, verbal suffix, variant of -ulāre originally in derivatives of nouns ending in -ulus, -ula, -ulum -ule — more at wind entry 1