humidifier
Americannoun
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a device for increasing the amount of water vapor in the air of a room or building, consisting of a container for water and a vaporizer.
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any device for regulating the amount of water vapor in a specific container or area.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of humidifier
Explanation
A machine that fills the air around it with moisture is called a humidifier. Turning on a humidifier can help you breathe more easily when you have a bad cold. When the air in a room is too dry, it can cause all kinds of problems: itchy skin, irritated eyes, and coughing. A humidifier is a device that humidifies (or adds moisture to) a space by sending steam or water vapor into the air. The word comes from humid, or "damp," and its Latin root humidus, which means "wet." If your houseplants are turning brown and slightly crispy, you should definitely try using a humidifier.
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:
Provide ample humidity by misting the plant daily, running a humidifier nearby or placing the pot on a shallow pebble-filled tray to which you’ve added water.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2023
But when you’re sick, the last thing you want to do is haul yourself out to the store for painkillers, cough medicine, a steam inhaler or a humidifier, a thermometer and some electrolyte powder.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2022
Dr. Fadel Hind, an infectious-disease physician at the Mayo Clinic, keeps a humidifier running in her house during winter flu season.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2022
Beginners usually start with a 4-by-4-foot grow tent that blocks external light, a fan to simulate wind and a humidifier to regulate moisture.
From Washington Post ● May 11, 2022
Then she pushed the bag back as far as she could on the highest shelf in the closet, behind the towels and a humidifier.
From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
WSJ | Buy Side: Don’t miss these Prime Day deals on kitchen appliances, humidifiers, smart home accessories, bed linens and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Her son Lewis, now 22, is dependent on a ventilator, as well as humidifiers, suction machines and oxygen concentrators, to keep him alive, after falling seriously ill as a toddler.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Nearly all get delivered by McKellen’s Julian, waving a champagne coupe while monologuing about humidifiers, cancel culture and a doctor who smells like radishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
Using humidifiers in the bedroom can be another way to counteract dry skin, because that’s where people spend the most time at home.
From National Geographic ● Nov. 28, 2023
In several places in England and abroad, where there is a scarcity of moisture, artificial humidifiers have been tried, but no cheap and satisfactory one has hitherto been discovered.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 5 "Cosway" to "Coucy" by Various
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.
