ventilate

verb

ven·ti·late | \ ˈven-tə-ˌlāt

ventilated; ventilating

Definition of ventilate

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

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Synonyms & Antonyms for ventilate

Synonyms

air, expound, express, give, look, raise, sound, state, vent, voice

Antonyms

stifle, suppress

Examples of ventilate in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

The centers are perforated and the seats are heated but not ventilated. — (james Halfacre), San Diego Union-Tribune, "2019 Mazda3: elevated design, distinct character," 8 June 2019 The National Disaster Management Authority weighed in with its own tips: Cover your head, cross-ventilate your room and try sleeping under a slightly wet sheet. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Northern India roasts as temperature tops 120," 5 June 2019 Heated and ventilated front seats with massagers, heated steering wheel and heated armrests warm the soul. — Casey Williams, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Mercedes-Benz E400 takes the lead in luxury coupes," 19 Dec. 2017 The best advice is to address the source of indoor air pollution and ventilate your home. — Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping, "Do Air Purifiers Actually Work?," 17 Dec. 2018 If the independent body cannot review these decisions as well, Facebook will be left with a large degree of control over what claims get ventilated and reviewed, and will be able to determine the ambit of the body’s promise of due process. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "How Kevin Hart tweeted himself out of a job hosting the Oscars," 8 Dec. 2018 Also, the modular architecture of the Atlas previously was used on vehicles such as the Golf, and the mid-row bench seats are heated but not ventilated. — WSJ, "Corrections & Amplifications," 3 Aug. 2017 The property was once a park for employees of Ilg's electric ventilating company. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Restoring the ring: Historic bells come down from Niles Leaning Tower," 2 July 2018 The Macomb Fire Department helped ventilate the building, The Voice reported. — Marwa Eltagouri, ajc, "Sign said pet store was closed for maintenance, but inside were 41 dead animals," 30 May 2018

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