Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air.
  • transitive verb To expose to oxygen, as in the oxygenation of the blood by respiration.
  • transitive verb To supply or charge (liquid) with a gas, especially to charge with carbon dioxide.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To expose to the free action of the air.
  • To cause to mix with carbonic-acid or other gas.
  • In physiology, to change the circulating fluids of, as animals, by the agency of the air; arterialize.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To combine or charge with gas; usually with carbonic acid gas, formerly called fixed air.
  • transitive verb To supply or impregnate with common air
  • transitive verb (Physiol.) To expose to the chemical action of air; to oxygenate (the blood) by respiration; to arterialize.
  • transitive verb cause a change by passing air through (of sewage)
  • transitive verb bread raised by charging dough with carbonic acid gas, instead of generating the gas in the dough by fermentation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To supply oxygen or air.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb impregnate, combine, or supply with oxygen
  • verb expose to fresh air
  • verb aerate (sewage) so as to favor the growth of organisms that decompose organic matter

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin aer ("air") + -ate.

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Examples

  • • Mr. Stupak will take a liquid base, divide it into parts and freeze some, dehydrate some and " aerate " some by pumping air into it, looking for the most interesting texture.

    The Secrets Behind Edible Irony Katy McLaughlin 2010

  • Oxygen bubbles escaping from the clay chuncks will aerate the water for several hours.

    Fishing tips 2009

  • Mark Sarvas does a public service by offering us a reading list compiled by James Wood in 1994 for The Guardian, in which Wood sought to "avoid the ‘representative’, ‘important’ or ‘influential’ and chosen, instead, books which I like, which seemed to me deep and beautiful, which aerate the soul and abrase the conscience …"

    2009 February | NIGEL BEALE NOTA BENE BOOKS 2009

  • Mark Sarvas does a public service by offering us a reading list compiled by James Wood in 1994 for The Guardian, in which Wood sought to "avoid the ‘representative’, ‘important’ or ‘influential’ and chosen, instead, books which I like, which seemed to me deep and beautiful, which aerate the soul and abrase the conscience …"

    Sarvas gives us James Wood’s favourite Books List 2009

  • Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

    Archive 2009-08-01 Melissa 2009

  • Oxygen bubbles escaping from the clay chuncks will aerate the water for several hours.

    Fishing tips 2009

  • If there were, the batter would rise up and aerate more, leaving a fluffier finished product.

    Pumpkin Brownies with Pecans | Baking Bites 2009

  • Â We just toss the garbage out and flip it every week with a pitchfork to aerate the compost.

    Going Green Five Best Ways To Compost | myFiveBest 2009

  • I have a few bottles of 2005 Clos Triguedina, and suspected I should either wait several more years or aerate for an extended time.

    Cahors: does the Malbec comparison help or hurt? | Dr Vino's wine blog 2009

  • Beat on medium-high speed for about 1 minute to smooth out any lumps and aerate the batter.

    CAKE SLICE BAKERS: MARBLED LEMON BLUEBERRY BUTTERCAKE Melissa 2009

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