VENTILATE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ventilate mean? 

• VENTILATE (verb)
  The verb VENTILATE has 5 senses:

1. expose to cool or cold air so as to cool or freshen

2. expose to the circulation of fresh air so as to retard spoilage

3. circulate through and freshen

4. give expression or utterance to

5. furnish with an opening to allow air to circulate or gas to escape

  Familiarity information: VENTILATE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• VENTILATE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they ventilate    ... he / she / it ventilates   
Past simple: ventilated   
Past participle: ventilated   
-ing form: ventilating   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Expose to cool or cold air so as to cool or freshen

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

air; air out; vent; ventilate

Context example:

air out the smoke-filled rooms

Hypernyms (to "ventilate" is one way to...):

freshen; refresh (make (to feel) fresh)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

vent (a hole for the escape of gas or air)

ventilator (a device (such as a fan) that introduces fresh air or expels foul air)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Expose to the circulation of fresh air so as to retard spoilage

Classified under:

Verbs of seeing, hearing, feeling

Context example:

Wheat should be well ventilated

Hypernyms (to "ventilate" is one way to...):

expose (expose or make accessible to some action or influence)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ventilation (a mechanical system in a building that provides fresh air)

ventilator (a device (such as a fan) that introduces fresh air or expels foul air)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Circulate through and freshen

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The gust of air ventilated the room

Hypernyms (to "ventilate" is one way to...):

circulate (move through a space, circuit or system, returning to the starting point)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s something

Derivation:

ventilation (the act of supplying fresh air and getting rid of foul air)

ventilation (a mechanical system in a building that provides fresh air)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Give expression or utterance to

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

give vent; vent; ventilate

Context example:

The graduates gave vent to cheers

Hypernyms (to "ventilate" is one way to...):

evince; express; show (give expression to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ventilation (free and open discussion of (or debate on) some question of public interest)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Furnish with an opening to allow air to circulate or gas to escape

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The architect did not think about ventilating the storage space

Hypernyms (to "ventilate" is one way to...):

alter; change; modify (cause to change; make different; cause a transformation)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

ventilation (the act of supplying fresh air and getting rid of foul air)

ventilator (a device (such as a fan) that introduces fresh air or expels foul air)

ventilatory (provided with ventilation or involving pulmonary ventilation)

 Context examples 

It serves to ventilate pressure differences between the middle ear and nasopharynx.

(Eustachian Tube, NCI Thesaurus)

The researchers found that a temperature difference between inside and outside has a remarkably small effect on how well a room is ventilated when ventilation is primarily driven by wind.

(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)

Making sure that your building is well-ventilated and getting rid of pollutants can improve the quality of your indoor air.

(Indoor Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Agency)

They seem to have been of a most interesting character—dummy bell-ropes, and ventilators which do not ventilate.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Using the results from lab-based experiments, Davies Wykes and her colleagues built mathematical models to predict how temperature difference between inside and outside affects how well a room is ventilated.

(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)

Wind blowing on a building can result in a high pressure on the windward side and a low pressure at the leeward side, which drives flow across a room, bringing fresh air in from outside and ventilating a room.

(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)

It was surprising that although temperature differences do not have a strong effect on the flow of air through a window, even small temperature differences can matter when trying to ventilate a room, said Davies Wykes.

(Wind more effective than cold air at cooling rooms naturally, University of Cambridge)