vaporizer
Americannoun
-
a person or thing that vaporizes.
-
a device for turning liquid into vapor, as an atomizer, especially one that converts a medicinal substance into a vapor that is inhaled for respiratory relief.
noun
-
a substance that vaporizes or a device that causes vaporization
-
med a device that produces steam or atomizes medication for inhalation
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vaporizer
Explanation
In medicine, a vaporizer is a machine that distributes medication in the form of a gas that a patient inhales. It's also another name for a humidifier, a device that increases moisture in the air. A vapor is a gas, and the job of a vaporizer is to create vapor. A child who's badly congested might need to breathe the warm steam of a home vaporizer to ease a cough. And a patient preparing for surgery often inhales their anesthesia through a mask with the aid of a vaporizer. The word comes from the Latin root vaporem, "a warm exhalation" or "steam."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
It's the simplest dry herb vaporizer to refill between sessions, features the largest oven size in its class, and has user-friendly presets.
From Salon ● Apr. 18, 2025
Her mother read Hans Christian Andersen stories as a vaporizer sent puffs of yellow steam into the sickroom.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2022
A family member lit a vaporizer full of essential oils.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 22, 2019
Chris Harihar, a spokesman for VMR Products, the largest independent vaporizer brand in the U.S, said he was not authorized to comment on Wednesday.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2017
I undressed again, refilled the vaporizer where it was hissing on its small spirit-stove, and climbed back into bed.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
“We still keep one or two desflurane vaporizers so someone could use it if they really need it, but it is no longer at arm’s reach in every operating room,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023
Gilson’s attorney, Peter McGrath, says the public needs to be aware about the possible dangers involved with e-cigarettes and vaporizers.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 12, 2016
Even vaporizers, the self-proclaimed smoking tech of the future, tend to look like something serendipitously broke loose from a costume at a Steampunk convention.
From The Verge ● Nov. 12, 2015
The World Health Organization’s recommendations for Aedes control include the use of screens, long sleeves, and spatial repellents like coils and vaporizers in the home.
From Slate
Yet this chemical, a form of benzene hexachloride, is much used in vaporizers, devices that pour a stream of volatilized insecticide vapor into homes, offices, restaurants.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
