aerate

American  

[air-ayt, ay-uh-rayt] / ˈɛər eɪt, ˈeɪ əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

• aerates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• aerated,
  past participle,  past
• aerating
  present participle

1. to expose to the action or effect of air or to cause air to circulate through.

   to aerate milk in order to remove odors.

2. to change or treat with air or a gas, especially with carbon dioxide.

3. Physiology. to expose (a medium or tissue) to air as in the oxygenation of the blood in respiration.

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aerate British  

/ ˈɛəreɪt /

verb

1. to charge (a liquid) with a gas, esp carbon dioxide, as in the manufacture of effervescent drink

2. to expose to the action or circulation of the air, so as to purify

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aerate Scientific  

/ âr′āt /

1. To add a gas, such as carbon dioxide, to a liquid.

2. To supply with oxygen. Blood is aerated in the alveoli of the lungs.

3. To supply with air or expose to the circulation of air.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aeration
  noun
• aerator
  noun
• subaeration
  noun
• subaerate
  verb (used with object)
• nonaerated
  adjective
• nonaerating
  adjective
• unaerated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• aerating
  present
• aerated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• aerate
  simple
• aerates
  simple
• have aerated
  perfect
• has aerated
  perfect
• am aerating
  progressive
• are aerating
  progressive
• is aerating
  progressive
• have been aerating
  perfect progressive
• has been aerating
  perfect progressive

Past

• aerated
  simple
• had aerated
  perfect
• was aerating
  progressive
• were aerating
  progressive
• had been aerating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will aerate
  simple
• will have aerated
  perfect
• will be aerating
  progressive
• will have been aerating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of aerate

1785–95; < Latin āer- aer- + -ate ¹

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Explanation

To aerate something is to put air into it. When a pastry chef whips cream, she aerates it, filling it with air until it's light and fluffy. Gardeners sometimes aerate soil with special spikes, allowing air to penetrate the surface and helping lawns or plants get more oxygen. If you aerate water or juice, you carbonate it, resulting in a fizzy soda. Cooking, baking, aquarium maintenance, and chemistry are just some of the activities that occasionally require someone to aerate some material. In Latin, aer means "air."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

aerate aerates aerated aerating

Being able to banter about blade height and the best time to aerate also gains you access to an office subculture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The water vole is often described as an "ecosystem engineer" or a "mini-beaver" by conservationists, as they dig burrows through watercourses and help aerate the soil.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

The obvious utility of iron for fashioning tougher and more durable tools used to clear forests, aerate land, and dig trench- based irrigation systems led others to adopt the new material.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Both species disperse seeds, for example, but grizzlies also aerate the soil when they dig for food.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2022

Erickson explained to me that the pieces of ceramic were probably intended to help build up and aerate the muddy soil for settlement and agriculture.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Back in Chicago, Miko's Italian ices are churned in an ice cream maker, which aerates mixtures like horchata, guava and the beloved mango, giving them a fluffier texture similar to DiCosmo's.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2023

Before it sends the sewage back into the closest river, the plant aerates the wastewater.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 19, 2021

But it aerates what’s already been well-trod, offering an alternately pitiless and tenderhearted lens on such hardy themes as character, filial loyalty and American progress at its most naive and voraciously destructive.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 25, 2018

The nibs are then ground between stone wheels along with cane sugar for three or sometimes more days in a machine called a melangeur, which also aerates the mixture as it grinds.

From Washington Times ● Feb. 26, 2017

It aerates the soil, enabling roots to thrive better.

From Ontario Teachers' Manuals: Nature Study by Ontario. Ministry of Education

It was installed last month and has been carefully tended and aerated under pink LED lights since.

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

For decades, Wylie Dufresne worked at the cutting edge of haute cuisine, dreaming up high-concept dishes like deconstructed eggs Benedict or cubes of aerated foie gras.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

Not just in looks — though a frosting should be aerated and smooth, with enough firmness to hold shape — but also in taste.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2025

When the capsules are round, they scatter light, making the liquid opaque, much like air bubbles make aerated water appear white.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024

He inoculated two sealed, aerated cartons with a mixture of two fly strains—ABC and CBA—in a one-to-one ratio.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Frustrated fans would have to consider new Sunday hobbies, like raking and aerating the lawn, or speaking to their families.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

It started aerating the depths of its reservoirs, in some places by injecting oxygen.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 20, 2023

Their wide spreading roots help to loosen soil, aerating the earth and reducing erosion.

From National Geographic ● Oct. 2, 2023

Operations are now continuing at low tide, and workers are also aerating the water and lighting the channel at night because they think the bacteria causing the smell is photosensitive, Pastrella said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2021

So the sheriff stopped and shot twice more, aerating the dump but not the bird.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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