vacuum [ vak -yoom, -yoo-uh m, -yuh m ] SHOW IPA
/ ˈvæk yum, -yu əm, -yəm / PHONETIC RESPELLING
noun, plural vac·u·ums for 1, 2, 4-6 , vac·u·a [vak -yoo-uh ] /ˈvæk yu ə/ for 1, 2, 4, 6 . a space entirely devoid of matter.
an enclosed space from which matter, especially air, has been partially removed so that the matter or gas remaining in the space exerts less pressure than the atmosphere (opposed to plenum ). the state or degree of exhaustion in such an enclosed space.
a space not filled or occupied; emptiness; void: The loss left a vacuum in his heart.
a vacuum cleaner or sweeper. Physics . a state of lowest energy in a quantum field theory.
SEE MORE SEE LESS adjective of, pertaining to, employing, or producing a vacuum.
(of a hollow container) partly exhausted of gas or air.
pertaining to a device or process that makes use of a vacuum to accomplish a desired task.
noting or pertaining to canning or packaging in which air is removed from the container to prevent deterioration of the contents.
SEE MORE SEE LESS verb (used with object) to use a vacuum cleaner on; clean with a vacuum cleaner : to vacuum rugs. to treat with any vacuum device, as a vacuum drier.
verb (used without object) to use a vacuum cleaner : to vacuum in the dining room. SEE MORE DEFINITIONS SEE FEWER DEFINITIONS
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of vacuum 1540–50; <Latin, neuter of vacuus empty
OTHER WORDS FROM vacuum non·vac·u·um, adjective, noun, plural non·vac·u·ums, non·vac·u·a. Words nearby vacuum vacuolated ,
vacuolation ,
vacuole ,
vacuous ,
vacutome ,
vacuum ,
vacuum activity ,
vacuum aspiration ,
vacuum bottle ,
vacuum brake ,
vacuum casting Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for vacuum To do so, astrobiologists took their experiments to space to see how terrestrial life holds up in this harsh environment, where the vacuum , lack of oxygen, ultraviolet radiation and extreme temperatures would seem to preclude it.
In fact, inflation comes together with a recipe for the quantum state of fields in the inflationary epoch, a so-called Bunch-Davies vacuum .
That demise would not be a result of expansion or contraction, but due to a phenomenon called vacuum decay.
As the pandemic worsened over the summer, the lack of clear state guidance about how and if to reopen schools was creating another vacuum .
The vacuum re-creates the downward pull of gravity, planting the person’s feet firmly on the floor of the chamber and drawing bodily fluids toward the legs.
But politicians abhor a rhetorical vacuum , and they have clamored to fill it.
Every conspiracy theory starts with an information vacuum , which then tumbles into fantasy.
In a vacuum (translation: but for Obama), this could be a killer year for Democrats.
There are also drones which vacuum the wireless spectrum, picking up tweets, emails, and Skype chats.
So Iran would have to eventually withdraw, leaving a power vacuum , again, in those areas.
Its first cost and expense in working to be much less than that of the Watt low-pressure steam vacuum engine.
The Wheal Prosper 16-inch pole high-pressure expansive steam vacuum engine commenced its up-stroke with steam of 100 lbs.
The conversion of the other, a 63-inch low-pressure vacuum engine at Wheal Gons, will be traced in this chapter.
The steam pressure in the Newcomen atmospheric was continued unaltered in the Watt vacuum engine.
A very thin vacuum shutter forms a better interrupter of sound waves than a brick wall two or three feet in thickness.
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noun plural vacuums or vacua (ˈvækjʊə ) a region containing no matter; free space Compare plenum (def. 3) a region in which gas is present at a low pressure
the degree of exhaustion of gas within an enclosed space a high vacuum ; a perfect vacuum
a sense or feeling of emptiness his death left a vacuum in her life
(modifier) of, containing, measuring, producing, or operated by a low gas pressure a vacuum tube ; a vacuum brake
SEE MORE SEE LESS verb to clean (something) with a vacuum cleaner to vacuum a carpet
Word Origin for vacuum C16: from Latin: an empty space, from vacuus empty
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
vacuum
[ văk′ yōō-əm, -yōōm, -yəm ]
n. pl. vac•u•ums Absence of matter.
A space empty of matter.
A space relatively empty of matter.
A space in which the pressure is significantly lower than atmospheric pressure.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Plural vacuums vacuua A region of space in which there is no matter.
A region of space having extremely low gas pressure relative to surrounding pressure. The air pump of a vacuum cleaner, for example, drastically reduces the air pressure inside the device, creating a vacuum; the pressure difference causes air to rush into it, carrying dust and debris along with it.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
notes for vacuum In the natural world, air will flow into regions of vacuum, giving rise to the saying “Nature abhors a vacuum.”
notes for vacuum The saying is extended informally: in politics, a lack of leadership may be referred to as a vacuum, which will presumably be filled by others rushing in.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.