Definitions

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

  • intransitive verb To convert or change into a vapor.
  • intransitive verb To draw off in the form of vapor.
  • intransitive verb To draw moisture from, as by heating, leaving only the dry solid portion.
  • intransitive verb To deposit (a metal) on a substrate by vacuum sublimation.
  • intransitive verb To change into vapor.
  • intransitive verb To pass off in or as vapor.
  • intransitive verb To produce vapor.
  • intransitive verb To disappear; vanish: synonym: disappear.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Dispersed in vapors.
  • To pass off in vapor, as a fluid; escape and be dissipated in vapor, either visible or invisible; exhale.
  • Figuratively, to escape or pass off without effect; be dissipated; be wasted: as, anger that evaporates in words; the spirit of a writer often evaporates in a translation.
  • To convert or resolve into vapor; dissipate in fumes or steam; convert from a solid or liquid state into a gaseous state; vaporize: as, heat evaporates water.
  • Figuratively, to waste; dissipate.

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

  • adjective Dispersed in vapors.
  • transitive verb To convert from a liquid or solid state into vapor (usually) by the agency of heat; to dissipate in vapor or fumes.
  • transitive verb To expel moisture from (usually by means of artificial heat), leaving the solid portion; to subject to evaporation.
  • transitive verb rare To give vent to; to dissipate.
  • transitive verb (Steam Boilers) that part of the heating surface with which water is in contact.
  • intransitive verb To pass off in vapor, as a fluid; to escape and be dissipated, either in visible vapor, or in particles too minute to be visible.
  • intransitive verb To escape or pass off without effect; to be dissipated; to be wasted, .

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

  • verb To transition from a liquid state into a gaseous state.
  • verb figuratively To disappear

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

  • verb become less intense and fade away gradually
  • verb change into a vapor
  • verb cause to change into a vapor
  • verb lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization leaving a more concentrated residue

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English evaporaten, from Latin ēvapōrāre, ēvapōrāt- : ē-, ex-, ex- + vapor, steam.]

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Examples

  • But letting a workforce discipline atrophy, or allowing capabilities to slip away, or watching commercial opportunities be delayed or evaporate is far less affordable in the long term.

    Obama Speaks of NASA Being Adrift - NASA Watch 2009

  • This allows the layers to fully adhere to each other and excess moisture to evaporate from the soap.

    Archive 2007-12-01 Anne-Marie 2007

  • This allows the layers to fully adhere to each other and excess moisture to evaporate from the soap.

    Final Photos & Instructions for Jelly Roll Soaps Anne-Marie 2007

  • We had overnight our water supply for all practical purposes in the short term evaporate on us and we have to now go to extraordinary measures in order to get through this drought cycle.

    CNN Transcript Jun 20, 2003 2003

  • As the sun gets higher and it gets a little warmer, by mid-April, you can actually put your sleeping bag out and the ice will sublimate, it will evaporate from the bag and, by the end of April even the wettest bags were all nice and dry and fluffy once again.

    Across the North Pole 1988

  • Hamlin likely saw his bid for his first NASCAR title evaporate with 60 laps to go when the

    WN.com - Articles related to Juan Pablo and Tacos? It’s just bad journalism 2009

  • The lawsuit claims that as the prosecution's case began to "evaporate" in 1995 — with three witnesses either recanting, refusing to cooperate or fleeing the area in violation of probation — Mr. Vecchione employed illegal tactics to coerce the witnesses into giving false statements and testimony.

    Freed Prisoner Alleges Prosecutorial Misconduct Sean Gardiner 2011

  • We also know that the stuff holds itself together by gravity, and that the particles of the stuff can't be too fast or else the stuff would "evaporate" from its gravitational "bottle."

    A Prototype Detector for Dark Matter in the Milky Way | Universe Today 2009

  • Are you confident that taxpayers are going to get their money back or is there a chance that a large chunk of that $50 million may just kind of evaporate?

    CNN Transcript Jun 1, 2009 2009

  • But we can start with a black hole, translate it into the new theory (where we do know how to keep track of information), let the black hole "evaporate" and translate it back.

    Lost in Space Sean Carroll 2008

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