aerosolize
Americanverb (used with object)
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to disperse or discharge as an aerosol.
a liquid that is too thick to aerosolize;
techniques that aerosolize the fuel prior to combustion.
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Physiology, Pathology. to release (the droplets, or fine particles, within one’s respiratory system) into the air as part of the process of talking, breathing, whistling, coughing, sneezing, etc..
Even when you sing, you’re aerosolizing particles from your respiratory tract.
With every cough and sneeze, the infected person profusely aerosolizes viral pathogens.
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to contain or pack in aerosol form.
Now I’ve heard everything—they’ve aerosolized coffee that I can just spray into my cream.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of aerosolize
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:
In the “dairy parlors” that commercial farms use to milk cows, floors are often cleaned using high-pressure water sprayers, which could aerosolize the virus, he notes.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 1, 2024
In their study, published in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology, the researchers found a way to successfully aerosolize the particles so they could see what happened to them when inhaled.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2023
“You might already be infectious, and that’s potentially because the virus now is just so able to potentially aerosolize and get out of people at lower amounts.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2022
But on March 10, with supplies dwindling, the C.D.C. announced that less protective surgical masks were “an acceptable alternative” except during procedures that might aerosolize the virus.
From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2020
Epidemiological studies have suggested that such spirited spewing can aerosolize the virus, putting others at risk.
From Scientific American ● Aug. 22, 2015
Most often, people become infected with these viruses by inhaling aerosolized urine or droppings from infected rodents.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
One thing to remember Lamb said is that the components of the pollutants, including ash, will settle on the ground and can be aerosolized again when disturbed as part of the cleanup efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2025
The flu virus could become aerosolized when milking parlors are cleaned with high-pressure hoses.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 25, 2024
When ready to mate, females release a plume of aerosolized alkaloids derived from the plants they ate as caterpillars.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2024
She lifts the mask off her face and a white puff of aerosolized medicine dissipates in front of her.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
But scientists and physicians quibble about everything else that could be an aerosolizing procedure: nebulizer treatments for asthma, chest tubes inserted for collapsed lungs, suctioning, CPR.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2020
Placing a breathing tube into someone’s trachea before putting them on a ventilator is considered an aerosolizing procedure, that is certain.
From Slate ● Jul. 20, 2020
But those rules didn’t mandate N95s – known to block viruses – for workers who, like Cain, were providing care but weren’t performing aerosolizing treatments, which can release virus particles into the air.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 30, 2020
In an enclosed doctor’s office, she and her partner gave the man a nebulizer, which creates a mist infused with medication and is suspected of aerosolizing the virus.
From New York Times ● May 10, 2020
The procedure is risky in that it can cause patients to cough, aerosolizing the virus as physicians hover overhead.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 26, 2020
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.
