evaporate

American  

[ih-vap-uh-reyt] / ɪˈvæp əˌreɪt /

verb (used without object)

evaporates, present (3rd person singular) evaporated, past participle, past evaporating present participle

1. to change from a liquid or solid state into vapor; pass off in vapor.

   Synonyms:

   vaporize

2. to give off moisture.

3. to disappear; vanish; fade.

   His hopes evaporated.

   Synonyms:

   evanesce

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verb (used with object)

evaporates, present (3rd person singular) evaporated, past participle, past evaporating present participle

1. to convert into a gaseous state or vapor; drive off or extract in the form of vapor.

   The warm sun evaporated the dew.

2. to extract moisture or liquid from, as by heat, so as to make dry or to reduce to a denser state.

   to evaporate fruit.

3. to cause to disappear or fade; dissipate.

   His involvement in the scandal evaporated any hope he had for a political career.

evaporate British  

/ ɪˈvæpəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to change or cause to change from a liquid or solid state to a vapour Compare boil 1

2. to lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization, leaving a more concentrated residue

3. to disappear or cause to disappear; fade away or cause to fade away

   all her doubts evaporated

4. (tr) to deposit (a film, metal, etc) by vaporization of a liquid or solid and the subsequent condensation of its vapour

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Usage

What does evaporate mean? Evaporate means to change from a liquid or solid state into vapor (like fog, mist, or steam). It can be used in a passive way, as in The water evaporated overnight, or an active way, as in The sun evaporates the water on the surface. The process of evaporating is called evaporation. Both terms are typically used in the context of water turning into water vapor. Water evaporates when it changes into steam through boiling, but in scientific terms, evaporation typically refers to the change of a liquid into a vapor at a temperature below the boiling point, such as when water evaporates from the surface of the ocean. In this way, evaporation is an important part of the water cycle. Evaporate can also be used in a figurative way meaning to disappear, as in The family’s wealth has evaporated, and now they have nothing. Example: The dew on the grass evaporates more quickly in the sunny parts of the yard.

Synonym Usage

Evaporate, dehydrate, dry mean to abstract moisture from. To evaporate is to remove moisture by means of heat, forced ventilation, or the like, and thus to produce condensation or shriveling: to evaporate milk, sliced apples. To dehydrate is to remove moisture from a vegetable, fruit, or body tissue: to dehydrate fruit; dehydrated from running. To dry may mean to wipe moisture off the surface or to withdraw moisture by natural means, such as exposure to air or heat: to dry a dish, clothes.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• evaporability
  noun
• evaporation
  noun
• evaporator
  noun
• preevaporate
  verb
• evaporable
  adjective
• evaporative
  adjective
• half-evaporated
  adjective
• half-evaporating
  adjective
• nonevaporating
  adjective
• unevaporated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• evaporating
  present
• evaporated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• evaporate
  simple
• evaporates
  simple
• have evaporated
  perfect
• has evaporated
  perfect
• am evaporating
  progressive
• are evaporating
  progressive
• is evaporating
  progressive
• have been evaporating
  perfect progressive
• has been evaporating
  perfect progressive

Past

• evaporated
  simple
• had evaporated
  perfect
• was evaporating
  progressive
• were evaporating
  progressive
• had been evaporating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will evaporate
  simple
• will have evaporated
  perfect
• will be evaporating
  progressive
• will have been evaporating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of evaporate

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English evaporaten, from Latin ēvapōrātus (past participle of ēvapōrāre “to disperse in vapor”); see e- ¹, vapor, -ate ¹

Explanation

To evaporate is to fade away or to literally turn into vapor. If you leave a glass of water out and the water slowly disappears, it's not being consumed by elves; it's evaporating. People often use the word evaporate metaphorically because it produces a strong image of something disappearing like vapor. When the economy goes through a rough patch, funding for projects like education and the arts tends to evaporate or disappear. Your feelings for a mate might evaporate after you spend too much time with him or her.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

evaporate evaporates evaporated evaporating

However, liquid systems often require toxic solvents and may evaporate over time, limiting their practicality.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 26, 2026

If the air is more humid, the sweat from our skin cannot evaporate and cool us down as effectively as it would do if the air was dry.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

They could cut back on orders later in the year once their worries about supply shortages evaporate.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

None of his contributions were more dramatic than his second in the third period of Game 4, after Carolina had watched its two-goal lead evaporate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026

I am hoping the whole situation will evaporate if we postpone it long enough, and I think she is too.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Heat domes also cause "dry thunderstorms" where rain evaporates before hitting the surface and lightning strikes are liable to trigger wildfires.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

This separation is a phase change that consumes energy, inducing a cooling effect, like when steam evaporates off a cup of hot water.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Others are hoarding cash in preparation for a layoff they consider inevitable, or placing risky bets on the stock market to get rich before their job and salary evaporates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

That is the real prize, and it evaporates the instant one man tries to seize it all.

From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026

Every drop of rain that falls on her evaporates instantly, sizzling into steam as soon as it touches her.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

By simply changing the number of bubbles in each droplet, the team found they could dramatically alter the pattern left behind as the liquid evaporated.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

By then, I had gained self-confidence and my shyness had evaporated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

While Platner—whose lead in the race had evaporated after a previous wave of stories about his relationship history—has not yet relented, he has suggested that he’s reassessing his run.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

During hot weather our body controls our internal temperature by sweating and as the sweat is evaporated from our skin, it cools the air directly next to us, making us feel cooler.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

She touched his arm, and his rage partially evaporated.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

"We can apply these generalized laws to better understand evaporating black holes in quantum theory and black hole mergers, like those detected by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration using gravitational waves."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was a sign that the "spirit of Anchorage" has, if not disappeared, then at least started evaporating.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

Summer jobs for teens are evaporating, as rising inflation and higher fuel prices squeeze the small businesses and restaurants that typically hire them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 2026

“The argument for having lower rates is just evaporating right before our very eyes,” said Brian Bethune, an economist at Boston College, in an interview with MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 28, 2026

In fact, it only obscures my view for a few seconds before evaporating completely.

From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth

Related Words

• disappear
• disperse
• dissipate
• fade
• melt
• vanish
• vaporize
• weaken