ventilate

play

verb ven·ti·late \ˈven-tə-ˌlāt\

Definition of ventilate

ventilated

;

ventilating

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 lungsb : 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 publicb : to make public : utter ventilated their objections at length
3a of a current of air : to pass or circulate through so as to freshenb : 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

See ventilate defined for English-language learners

See ventilate defined for kids

Examples of ventilate in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of ventilate from the Web

Everyone gets really sweaty (the room is not ventilated) doing jumping jacks and burpees and sit-ups, with the occasional downward dog thrown in.

— amy larocca, The Cut, "The Wellness Epidemic", 27 June 2017
Hazmat crew tested and ventilated the building, according to fire officials.

— Fox News, "5 children sickened by chlorine gas in indoor pool, Florida officials say", 27 June 2017
Surrounding businesses in the complex including Bar Louie and Starbucks remained open, and fire department crews ventilated the Forever Yogurt building.

— Naperville Sun, "Brown sugar on heating element sets off fire alarm in yogurt shop", 5 June 2017
A light breeze keeps things dry and ventilated, but nothing violent.

— mary orlin, The Mercury News, "Six cool things about grapevine bloom", 20 May 2017
After ventilating the building, residents were allowed to return to their homes at approximately 7:45 p.m., Eggert said.

— steve schering, chicagotribune.com, "Cleaning crew believed to be source of River Forest carbon monoxide call", 4 May 2017
Firefighters continued to ventilate smoke and gases and perform salvage and overhaul activities.

— Elgin Courier-News, "Firefighters battle blaze in Bartlett", 1 May 2017
On Thursday in Ridgewood, Queens, Firefighter William Tolley, 42, was lifted to the roof of a five-story building in a tower ladder to ventilate the roof and allow smoke and hot gases to escape.

— andy newman, New York Times, "Firefighter’s Practiced Maneuver, Five Stories Up, Ends in Fatal Fall", 21 Apr. 2017
That involves keeping humidity levels as low as possible, ventilating kitchens and bathrooms and cleaning with mold-killing products.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "Black Mold Slowly Poisoned This Woman for 35 Years", 9 Mar. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of 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 ¹wind

NEW!

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

VENTILATE Defined for English Language Learners

ventilate

play

verb

Definition of ventilate for English Language Learners

: to allow fresh air to enter and move through (a room, building, etc.)
: to express or discuss (something) openly or publicly

VENTILATE Defined for Kids

ventilate

play

verb ven·ti·late \ˈven-tə-ˌlāt\

Definition of ventilate for Students

ventilated

;

ventilating

1 : to let in air and especially a current of fresh air Windows ventilate the room.
2 : to provide with fresh air Keep the plants ventilated.
3 : to discuss freely and openly You should ventilate your complaints.

Medical Dictionary

ventilate

play

transitive verb ven·ti·late \ˈvent-^əl-ˌāt\

Medical Definition of ventilate

ventilated

;

ventilating

1: to expose to air and especially to a current of fresh air for purifying or refreshing
2a: oxygenate, aerate ventilate blood in the lungsb: to subject the lungs of (an individual) to ventilation artifically ventilate a patient in respiratory distress
3: to give verbal expression to (as mental or emotional conflicts)