aerate

American  

[air-eyt, ey-uh-reyt] / 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

Etymology

Origin of aerate

1785–95; < Latin āer- aer- + -ate ¹

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

A keystone species, bears are known to till and aerate soil as they search for potato-like roots like Alpine sweetvetch, munch on berries, and later deposit the seeds through their scat.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 26, 2023

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

In general the effect of all this habitation of the soil is to aerate it and improve both its drainage and the penetration of water throughout the layers of plant growth.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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

Shaking liquids with one-inch cubes, for example, aerates the alcohol and emphasizes subtle flavors, and it can also produce thick foams necessary for drinks such as the whisky sour.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 17, 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

It aerates the soil, enabling roots to thrive better.

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

In the oven, that aerated layer rises and sets into a thin, lacquered shell, delicate but intentional.

From Salon ● Mar. 5, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026

The container is sealed tight, aerated and slowly rocked for 40 days.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

It was found, along with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, in scores of school across England in 2022 to 2023.

From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2025

On his orders his sanitary engineer, William S. MacHarg, built a water-sterilization plant on the fairgrounds that pumped lake water through a succession of large tanks in which the water was aerated and boiled.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Grizzly bears also bring benefits, including dispersing seeds and aerating soil.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

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

The opposite technique is employed if a drink does not call for those ingredients — you stir to avoid aerating.

From Salon ● Jan. 31, 2023

Their mound-building activities serve a useful purpose in aerating and draining the soil.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Related Words

• oxygenate