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 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 If timed correctly, ventilating a building by opening doors, breaking windows and cutting holes in the roof can improve visibility. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "In a tragic loop, firefighters continue to die from preventable mistakes," 13 July 2018 The second-floor windows were covered by foil panels, preventing the floor from being ventilated of the leaking gas, the Bronx district attorney, Darcel D. Clark, said in a statement on Friday. — Christopher Mele, New York Times, "2 Plead Guilty to Manslaughter in Gas Explosion That Killed a Fire Chief," 13 July 2018 Superintending a mine required knowing how to bore, sink, stope, and ventilate underground workings, pump water, and hoist ore. — Gregory Crouch, Time, "Mark Twain Claimed He Got His Pen Name From a Riverboat Captain. He May Have Actually Gotten It in a Saloon," 19 June 2018 Investigators spent most of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning ventilating the area with fans. — Vinny Vella, Philly.com, "Bensalem PD: Crews recover body of gas-station owner killed in explosion," 13 June 2018 Alternatively, ventilate the fire with a fan or a hair dryer. — Steven Raichlen, New York Times, "Grilling Turns Back to an Ancient Fuel: Wood," 29 June 2018 The whole symmetrical stadium will be naturally ventilated, eliminating the need for air conditioning. — Aimee Berg, USA TODAY, "U.S. Open's second covered stadium should help with weather delays, boost attendance," 17 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