respirator

[ res-puh-rey-ter ]

/ ˈrɛs pəˌreɪ tər /

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noun

a masklike device, usually of nonwoven fibrous materials, as fiberglass paper, wool felt, or polypropylene, worn over the mouth, or nose and mouth, to prevent the inhalation of noxious substances, pathogens, or the like: Respirators are essential protective equipment for healthcare providers during an outbreak.

Medicine/Medical. ventilator (def. 3).

British. gas mask.

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Origin of respirator

First recorded in 1835–40; from Latin respīrāt(us), past participle of respīrāre “to recover one's breath” + -or agent suffix; see origin at respire, -or²

Words nearby respirator

Res. Phys., Respighi, respirable, respiration, respiration rate, respirator, respiratory, respiratory acidosis, respiratory alkalosis, respiratory bronchiole, respiratory capacity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use respirator in a sentence

First, respirator masks remain in short supply—even some health care facilities are still having trouble getting enough of them.
Is It Time to Wear a Better Mask for COVID-19? We Asked the Experts|Tara Law|February 8, 2021|Time
Surgical masks are more likely than respirator masks to have gaps big enough to allow air to leak through the side.
Is It Time to Wear a Better Mask for COVID-19? We Asked the Experts|Tara Law|February 8, 2021|Time
Michael Bowen is executive vice president of Prestige Ameritech in North Richland Hills, Texas, a maker of surgical masks and respirators.
Hear from people taking action against COVID-19|Maryn McKenna|December 10, 2020|Science News
You could sand off the paint while protecting your lungs with a high-quality disposable respirator.
Why does the paint keep peeling on my bathroom vanity?|Jeanne Huber|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

Then 49, Topper started Alta after recovering from a fire at his home that left him on a respirator, with third-degree burns over 70% of his body.
Investors Extracted $400 Million From a Hospital Chain That Sometimes Couldn’t Pay for Medical Supplies or Gas for Ambulances|by Peter Elkind with Doris Burke|September 30, 2020|ProPublica
“Republican Cuts Kill” is printed across the screen, with the only sound a person struggling to breathe through a respirator.
How to Politicize Ebola: Blame It on Obama—or the GOP|Eleanor Clift|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I used gloves and a respirator, and protective clothing,” he says.
Sexually-Charged Napalm Sculptures Debut at Gallery Diet in Miami|Ann Binlot|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ortega is in stable but critical condition on a respirator at Weill Cornell Medical Center.
A New York Nanny Allegedly Kills Two Children and Neighbors Struggle to Understand|David Freedlander, Eliza Shapiro|October 27, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But Carina Melchior did not die after her respirator was removed.
The Mistakes We Make|Megan McArdle|October 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead, Anderson slipped into a coma and later died when his mother took him off a respirator on April 13.
Porn Star Death Mystery Deepens|Maria Elena Fernandez, Christine Pelisek|September 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He slipped a respirator over his head and moved into the corridor.
The Status Civilization|Robert Sheckley
Then he got up, readjusted his handkerchief-respirator and mumbled that it was cerebro-spinal-something.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 156, May 21, 1919.|Various
This was the type of respirator in use to the end of the fighting.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
The use of an ori-nasal respirator of cotton wool has also been suggested.
Cooley's Cyclopdia of Practical Receipts and Collateral Information in the Arts, Manufactures, Professions, and Trades..., Sixth Edition, Volume I|Arnold Cooley
The feet of the first rests on two grotesque human heads, probably Infidels; the second wears a mouth guard like a respirator.
Old and New London|Walter Thornbury

British Dictionary definitions for respirator

respirator

/ (ˈrɛspəˌreɪtə) /

noun

an apparatus for providing long-term artificial respiration

Also called: gas mask a device worn over the mouth and nose to prevent inhalation of noxious fumes or to warm cold air before it is breathed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for respirator

respirator

[ rĕs′pə-rā′tər ]

A device that supplies oxygen or a mixture of oxygen and carbon dioxide for breathing, used especially in artificial respiration.inhalator ventilator

A screenlike device worn over the mouth or nose or both to protect the respiratory tract.

respirator

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