exhaust

American  

[ig-zawst] / ɪgˈzɔst /

verb (used with object)

• exhausts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exhausted,
  past participle,  past
• exhausting
  present participle

1. to drain of strength or energy, wear out, or fatigue greatly, as a person.

   I have exhausted myself working.

   Synonyms:

   debilitate, prostrate, enervate, tire

   Antonyms:

   invigorate, strengthen

2. to use up or consume completely; expend the whole of.

   He exhausted a fortune in stock-market speculation.

   Synonyms:

   dissipate, squander, waste

3. to draw out all that is essential in (a subject, topic, etc.); treat or study thoroughly.

4. to empty by drawing out the contents.

   to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.

   Synonyms:

   void

   Antonyms:

   fill

5. to create a vacuum in.

6. to draw out or drain off completely.

7. to deprive wholly of useful or essential properties, possessions, resources, etc.

8. Chemistry, Pharmacology. to deprive of ingredients by the use of solvents, as a drug.

9. to destroy the fertility of (soil), as by intensive cultivation.

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verb (used without object)

• exhausts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• exhausted,
  past participle,  past
• exhausting
  present participle

1. to pass out or escape, as spent steam from the cylinder of an engine.

noun

Machinery.

• exhausts
  plural

1. the escape of steam or gases from the cylinder of an engine.

2. the steam or gases ejected.

   Synonyms:

   vapor, smoke, fume

3. Also called exhaust system. the parts of an engine through which the exhaust is ejected.

exhaust British  

/ ɪɡˈzɔːst /

verb

1. to drain the energy of; tire out

   to exhaust someone by constant questioning

2. to deprive of resources, etc

   a nation exhausted by war

3. to deplete totally; expend; consume

   to exhaust food supplies

4. to empty (a container) by drawing off or pumping out (the contents)

5. to develop or discuss thoroughly so that no further interest remains

   to exhaust a topic of conversation

6. to remove gas from (a vessel, etc) in order to reduce the pressure or create a vacuum; evacuate

7. to remove or use up the active ingredients from (a drug, solution, etc)

8. to destroy the fertility of (soil) by excessive cultivation

9. (intr) (of steam or other gases) to be emitted or to escape from an engine after being expanded

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noun

1. gases ejected from an engine as waste products

2. 1. the expulsion of expanded gas or steam from an engine

   2. ( as modifier )

      exhaust stroke

3. 1. the parts of an engine through which the exhausted gases or steam pass

   2. ( as modifier )

      exhaust valve

      exhaust pipe

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exhauster
  noun
• exhaustibility
  noun
• multiexhaust
  noun
• preexhaust
  verb (used with object)
• exhausted
  adjective
• exhaustible
  adjective
• exhausting
  adjective
• nonexhausted
  adjective
• nonexhaustible
  adjective
• unexhausted
  adjective
• unexhaustedly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exhausts
  plural

Participles

• exhausting
  present
• exhausted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exhaust
  simple
• exhausts
  simple
• have exhausted
  perfect
• has exhausted
  perfect
• am exhausting
  progressive
• are exhausting
  progressive
• is exhausting
  progressive
• have been exhausting
  perfect progressive
• has been exhausting
  perfect progressive

Past

• exhausted
  simple
• had exhausted
  perfect
• was exhausting
  progressive
• were exhausting
  progressive
• had been exhausting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exhaust
  simple
• will have exhausted
  perfect
• will be exhausting
  progressive
• will have been exhausting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of exhaust

1515–25; 1895–1900 exhaust for def. 11; < Latin exhaustus emptied out, drained out, past participle of exhaurīre

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Explanation

The noun exhaust refers to what comes out of your car's tailpipe. It consists of the burned gases and particulate matter that are created by the engine. As a verb, the word exhaust means to use something up, such as a food supply or your energy. The exhaust system in your car is the part that takes the waste created by the car in the form of gas or smoke and expels it through the tailpipe. The noun exhaust appeared in the 19th century, after the invention of the engine. Before that, the word, as a verb, referred only to depleting something, such as a natural resource. Miners deplete a mineral deposit and exhaust the resource.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exhaust exhausts exhausted exhausting

The program’s retirement trust fund is projected to exhaust its reserves in roughly six years — coinciding with each newly elected senator’s term.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026

Races begin with a bone-shaking roar, as the world's fastest-accelerating cars leave the starting line, flames bursting out of their exhaust pipes.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

As drivers ratchet up to Sport and Race modes on the manettino controller, the active exhaust valves allow more volume and breathy resonance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

The researchers say exposure can be reduced by choosing unscented products, improving ventilation with exhaust fans or open windows, and avoiding devices that generate ozone while scented cleaning products are being used.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 26, 2026

Me skipping across the concrete as I got out of the Puss Moth, through crisp October air smelling of leaf smoke and engine exhaust, thinking, France, France!

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

For a reader he is like a guest who overwhelms and exhausts, but who is then invited back for the sheer enjoyment of his absorbing tales, striking insights and charm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Core-collapse supernovae occur when a massive star exhausts the fuel needed to support its core.

From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026

Her construction project has begun and she hopes to move in by August -- before the $4,000 monthly rent she pays for a furnished apartment exhausts the housing allowance from her insurance.

From Barron's ● Jan. 4, 2026

When I’m gone, they tuck her in, and at 2 a.m., when she pops up like a jack-in-the-box, giggling and whining, they sit with her until she exhausts herself and falls back to sleep.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2025

She looks like everything exhausts her, including me.

From "Allegiant" by Veronica Roth

By the time Stewart’s final voyage with “Star Trek” debuted in 2020, Picard was less of a Starfleet hero than a wise man exhausted by politics and cruelty.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026

He said: "He was distraught. He didn't know how he was going to manage it. He was absolutely exhausted after the first experience."

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Seven pitchers combined to keep the Brewers’ lineup at bay, while Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash exhausted his entire bench.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

“We were already exhausted from the downpour of the storm and trying to hold umbrellas, it was just a horrible day,” Menapace recalled.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

When he was done, they lay back in the snow and closed their eyes, achy and exhausted.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

But while the novel is imposing from sheer size alone, the shift in medium lends their elaborate, occasionally exhausting storytelling a curious new potency.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

We’ve experimented with retirement simulations of our own, but we struggle to get the projected probability of success below 90%, much less find a realistic path toward exhausting our assets over the next 30 years.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

How exhausting it has to be to litigate every little thing, to be so constantly aggrieved?

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2026

It must be exhausting for him and his team.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

The hunger, the slush, the lack of sleep, the constant tension, the grime, the grief, and the cold were all exhausting.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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Related Words

• drain
• fatigue
• frazzle
• impoverish
• overwork
• sap
• tire out
• use up
• weaken
• wear out
• weary

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