vent

1 of 3

verb

vented; venting; vents

transitive verb

1
: to provide with a vent
2
a
: to serve as a vent for
chimneys vent smoke
c
: to give often vigorous or emotional expression to
vented her frustration on her coworkers
3
: to relieve by means of a vent
vented himself in a fiery letter to the editor

intransitive verb

: to relieve oneself by venting something (such as anger)
comes home from work and vents to the kids

vent

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
: an opening for the escape of a gas or liquid or for the relief of pressure: such as
a
: the external opening of the rectum or cloaca : anus
c
: an opening at the breech of a muzzle-loading gun through which fire is touched to the powder
d
chiefly Scotland : chimney, flue
2
: an opportunity or means of escape, passage, or release : outlet
finally gave vent to his pent-up hostility

vent

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a slit in a garment
specifically : an opening in the lower part of a seam (as of a jacket or skirt)
Choose the Right Synonym for vent

express, vent, utter, voice, broach, air mean to make known what one thinks or feels.

express suggests an impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces.

expressed her feelings in music

vent stresses a strong inner compulsion to express especially in words.

a tirade venting his frustration

utter implies the use of the voice not necessarily in articulate speech.

utter a groan

voice does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but does imply expression or formulation in words.

an editorial voicing their concerns

broach adds the implication of disclosing for the first time something long thought over or reserved for a suitable occasion.

broached the subject of a divorce

air implies an exposing or parading of one's views often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention.

publicly airing their differences

Examples of vent in a Sentence

Verb Windows should be opened to vent the fumes. She vented her frustrations by kicking the car. Don't vent your anger on me. I screamed because I needed to vent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Burns has uploaded a number of similar videos over the past few years encouraging fans to vent as needed, but his latest comes in the wake of the troubling allegations surrounding Nickelodeon in the Investigation Discovery docuseries. Shania Russell, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2024 Also, the pellet stove is designed to vent directly to your chimney. Nor'adila Hepburn, Better Homes & Gardens, 23 Mar. 2024 But Angela isn’t just venting; Bobiţă seems to open a vital creative spigot in her. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024 Listening to you vent about life and offering reassuring adages to get you through the day. Morgan Korn, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2024 Moments before opening fire, Zhao vented his frustrations at the supervisor and a co-worker whom Zhao blamed for a collision between his forklift and a bulldozer, prosecutors allege. Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 Hungary’s foot-dragging was less clear in nature with Budapest mostly venting its annoyance over Swedish criticism of the direction of democratic development under nationalist premier Orban rather than any concrete demands. Reuters, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024 But when Daphne takes Lily to a rage room, where she’s given a baseball bat to smash and destroy things in order to vent her frustrations, Lily can’t move. Selome Hailu, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Matlin, who is deaf, vented to her nearly 400,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) and tagged CBS. Eric Andersson, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024
Noun
Heating vents in the hallways and common rooms appeared nonfunctional. Journal Sentinel, 13 Mar. 2024 Hatchlings make clicking noises and wriggling movements near the vent in the lead-up to milk feedings, says Mailho-Fontana. Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Some vents look like straws or tubes, while others are holes in the nipple or elsewhere. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 19 Feb. 2024 Dust build up around air vent inside walk-in cooler. Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Jan. 2024 This pleat, which sits flat while the wearer is standing still, expands with movement to give the back and shoulders a full range of motion and increases ventilation in tandem with the front and rear vents. Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2024 These remarkable organisms, which can grow up to 6.6 feet, depend on symbiotic bacteria in their bodies to transform sulfur vent emissions into usable energy. Anna Nordseth, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024 In other specs, it’s made of soft, flexible silicone and includes vent holes as well as a pacifier ring. Sarah Bradley, Parents, 1 Mar. 2024 CEOs need the space and freedom to brainstorm, discuss options and vent frustrations without igniting panic through the ranks. Archana Rao, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English venten "to provide with an air hole," in part verbal derivative of vent "anus, outlet, vent entry 2," in part short for aventen "to cool (oneself, as by removing a helmet), release, let air out of," borrowed from Anglo-French aventer "to allow to escape, release, fan," probably altered by vowel reduction from Old French esventer "to fan, cool by stirring the air," going back to Vulgar Latin *exventāre, from Latin ex- ex- entry 1 + -ventāre, verbal derivative of ventus "wind" — more at wind entry 1

Noun (1)

Middle English, "anus, outlet," probably borrowed from Anglo-French, "wind, cold air, draft, outlet" (continental Old French, "wind"), going back to Latin ventus "wind" — more at wind entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English vent, fente, borrowed from Anglo-French fente "split, crack, opening," derivative of fendre "to split" (going back to Latin findere), probaby by analogy with pairs such as rendre "to yield," rente "income" — more at bite entry 1, render entry 1, rent entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of vent was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near vent

Cite this Entry

“Vent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vent. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

vent

1 of 3 verb
1
a
: to provide with an outlet
b
: to serve as an outlet for
chimneys vent smoke
2
: to give expression to
vented her frustration on her sister

vent

2 of 3 noun
1
: an opening (as a flue) for the escape of a gas or liquid or for the relief of pressure
2
: an opportunity or means of release : outlet
his writing gives vent to his pent-up feelings

vent

3 of 3 noun
: an opening in the lower part of a seam (as of a jacket or skirt)

Medical Definition

vent

noun
: an opening for the escape of a gas or liquid or for the relief of pressure
especially : the external opening of the rectum or cloaca : anus

More from Merriam-Webster on vent

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