exhaust
Americanverb (used with object)
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exhausts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhausted,
past participle, past
-
exhausting
present participle
-
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
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to use up or consume completely; expend the whole of.
He exhausted a fortune in stock-market speculation.
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to draw out all that is essential in (a subject, topic, etc.); treat or study thoroughly.
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to empty by drawing out the contents.
to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.
- Synonyms:
- void
- Antonyms:
- fill
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to create a vacuum in.
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to draw out or drain off completely.
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to deprive wholly of useful or essential properties, possessions, resources, etc.
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Chemistry, Pharmacology. to deprive of ingredients by the use of solvents, as a drug.
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to destroy the fertility of (soil), as by intensive cultivation.
verb (used without object)
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exhausts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exhausted,
past participle, past
-
exhausting
present participle
verb
-
to drain the energy of; tire out
to exhaust someone by constant questioning
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to deprive of resources, etc
a nation exhausted by war
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to deplete totally; expend; consume
to exhaust food supplies
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to empty (a container) by drawing off or pumping out (the contents)
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to develop or discuss thoroughly so that no further interest remains
to exhaust a topic of conversation
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to remove gas from (a vessel, etc) in order to reduce the pressure or create a vacuum; evacuate
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to remove or use up the active ingredients from (a drug, solution, etc)
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to destroy the fertility of (soil) by excessive cultivation
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(intr) (of steam or other gases) to be emitted or to escape from an engine after being expanded
noun
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gases ejected from an engine as waste products
-
-
the expulsion of expanded gas or steam from an engine
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( as modifier )
exhaust stroke
-
-
-
the parts of an engine through which the exhausted gases or steam pass
-
( as modifier )
exhaust valve
exhaust pipe
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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exhausternoun
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exhaustibilitynoun
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multiexhaustnoun
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preexhaustverb (used with object)
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exhaustedadjective
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exhaustibleadjective
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exhaustingadjective
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nonexhaustedadjective
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nonexhaustibleadjective
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unexhaustedadjective
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unexhaustedlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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exhaustsimple
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exhaustssimple
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have exhaustedperfect
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has exhaustedperfect
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am exhaustingprogressive
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are exhaustingprogressive
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is exhaustingprogressive
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have been exhaustingperfect progressive
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has been exhaustingperfect progressive
Past
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exhaustedsimple
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had exhaustedperfect
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was exhaustingprogressive
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were exhaustingprogressive
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had been exhaustingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exhaust
1515–25; 1895–1900 exhaust for def. 11; < Latin exhaustus emptied out, drained out, past participle of exhaurīre
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.
Vocabulary lists containing exhaust
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"Flag" Day Words
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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:
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
Diesel exhaust is a carcinogen and has long been a priority for port communities and others along heavy transport routes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
One bill limits liability for rocket launchers that own at least 20,000 contiguous acres related to noise, exhaust and other disturbances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
The air smelled like car exhaust but also food from nearby hot dog and pretzel vendors.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
A Greek Orthodox Christian and a protégé of tech billionaire Peter Thiel, Kratsios argued that when AI exhausts human knowledge, humanity will look beyond reason for ultimate answers about man’s place in the universe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
On a remote Cambridgeshire farm, where his nearest neighbour is half a mile away, Mathew Latta was making lunch when the peace was shattered by the sound of loud exhausts.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 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 the star exhausts its fuel, this balance collapses.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2025
The rocket stood in the cold winter morning, making summer with every breath of its mighty exhausts.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
As exhausted as Gibney may be with the subject, he can’t entirely rule out “Musk 2.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
“When I’m home and I’m exhausted, I’m like, ‘I can’t spend $30 for, like, a burrito right now.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Pollard added she was now at her "wits' end" and "devastated and exhausted by it all".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
As he spoke, mothers in the back rows swayed from side to side, hugging exhausted toddlers who had missed nap time.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
He appeared about as exhausted as she felt.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The overacting is exhausting because it’s not only Iñárritu’s creative choice, but rather the methods employed by the play-within-a-movie’s director.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
"You do have to work harder. It can be exhausting."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Another not-insignificant consideration: Selling a home is a time-consuming, exhausting, stressful and laborious process.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
Desperate for capital to expand, the company turned to the public stock market in a last-ditch effort to raise funds after exhausting its loan capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Like exhausting the least likely places first when looking for something lost.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.
