vent
1 Americannoun
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an opening, as in a wall, serving as an outlet for air, smoke, fumes, or the like.
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an opening at the earth's surface from which volcanic material, as lava, steam, or gas, is emitted.
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Zoology. the anal or excretory opening of animals, especially of those below mammals, as birds and reptiles.
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the small opening at the breech of a gun by which fire is communicated to the charge.
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a means of exit or escape; an outlet, as from confinement.
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expression; utterance; release.
to give vent to one's emotions.
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Obsolete. the act or fact of venting; emission or discharge.
verb (used with object)
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vents,
present (3rd person singular)
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vented,
past participle, past
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venting
present participle
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to give free play or expression to (an emotion, passion, etc.).
to vent rage.
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to give public utterance to.
to vent one's opinions.
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to relieve by giving expression to something.
He vented his disappointment by criticizing his successor.
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to release or discharge (liquid, smoke, etc.).
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to furnish or provide with a vent or vents.
verb (used without object)
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vents,
present (3rd person singular)
-
vented,
past participle, past
-
venting
present participle
-
to be relieved of pressure or discharged by means of a vent.
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(of an otter or other animal) to rise to the surface of the water to breathe.
noun
noun
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a small opening for the passage or escape of fumes, liquids, etc
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the shaft of a volcano or an aperture in the earth's crust through which lava and gases erupt
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the external opening of the urinary or genital systems of lower vertebrates
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a small aperture at the breech of old guns through which the charge was ignited
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an exit, escape, or passage
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to release (an emotion, passion, idea, etc) in an utterance or outburst
verb
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to release or give expression or utterance to (an emotion, idea, etc)
he vents his anger on his wife
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to provide a vent for or make vents in
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to let out (steam, liquid, etc) through a vent
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ventsimple
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ventssimple
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have ventedperfect
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has ventedperfect
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am ventingprogressive
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are ventingprogressive
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is ventingprogressive
-
have been ventingperfect progressive
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has been ventingperfect progressive
Past
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ventedsimple
-
had ventedperfect
-
was ventingprogressive
-
were ventingprogressive
-
had been ventingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of vent1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb venten “to furnish (a vessel) with a vent,” by shortening of Old French esventer (equivalent to es- + -venter, verbal derivative of vent, from Latin ventus “wind”), in later use derivative of the English noun; the noun derives partly from French vent, partly by shortening of French évent ( Old French esvent, derivative of esventer ), and partly derivative of the English verb; see ex- 1, wind 1
Origin of vent2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English vent(e); replacing Middle English fente, from Old French or Middle French, derivative of fendre “to slit,” from Latin findere “to split”
Explanation
When you vent, you let something out, whether it's hot air or your feelings. If you vent your feelings, you let out a strong and sometimes angry emotion and just say what you think. You might vent your rage when your brother once again gets out of doing his chores. You also might vent something to air it out. If it's too hot inside your car, vent it by opening a window. The noun vent refers to a hole that lets air escape. A clothes dryer has a vent that sends hot air outside. A vent in nature is a crack in the earth's surface that lets hot gas and lava escape — like a volcano.
Vocabulary lists containing vent
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Ventus and Venire
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"Ten Freaky Forces of Nature"
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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:
Burned buyers have swarmed Reddit threads and Facebook groups to vent and seek advice.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
Organizers say they occasionally draw people who are intoxicated, having a bad day, or simply looking for someone to vent at.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Even so, scientists still cannot say with certainty which volcanic feature is erupting, how deep the active vent originally was, or when it last erupted.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026
“His impact was less ideological than attitudinal. He wasn’t convincing the voters to become more conservative, he was convincing them that it was OK for them to vent their anger in an unconventional way.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
A concealed vent, cunningly let into the real wall, allowed air to enter from outside.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
One possible answer involves palladium, a metal that occurs naturally in hydrothermal vents and has been known to chemists as an effective catalyst for roughly a century.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026
She works mostly under a hood, which vents the chemical and fecal fumes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Ducting air con is the least noticeable option due to the vents and can cool multiple rooms.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Small issues like dirty filters, blocked vents or restricted airflow can become bigger problems when the system is running constantly,” Shavers said.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
The shark smelled so bad now that she wanted to vomit, but she dumped the seaweed onto the steaming vents and ran back to hide, out of the stench and out of sight.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
Residents in the worst affected areas have vented their frustrations by setting piles on trash on fire or banging on pots and pans.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
On Monday night, he vented his own frustration over the fair’s failure through his typical defensive bluster.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
“Parents lying for their kids so they don’t have consequences for actions….” one poster vented on Facebook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
They vented angrily about what they saw as the inaction of local authorities and called for California Atty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
Sitting in his tack room two days after the race, he vented his frustrations.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
The online outrage erupted almost instantly—some from people venting about “Orwellian” Silicon Valley startup culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Mostly, these conversations, when not venting about the disruption to bus schedules and the noisiness of bomber jet flyovers, focus on the absolute failure of the fair.
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
If the temperature is equilibrating and the tank is no longer venting substances in the air, one possibility is that the reaction could be done.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
"That's my way of venting about the errors we see in leadership," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
A fire burned constantly in the center, the smoke venting through a hole in the center of the roof.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
