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vent

[ vent ]

/ vɛnt /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR vent ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an opening, as in a wall, serving as an outlet for air, smoke, fumes, or the like.

an opening at the earth's surface from which volcanic material, as lava, steam, or gas, is emitted.

Zoology. the anal or excretory opening of animals, especially of those below mammals, as birds and reptiles.

the small opening at the breech of a gun by which fire is communicated to the charge.

a means of exit or escape; an outlet, as from confinement.

expression; utterance; release: to give vent to one's emotions.

Obsolete. the act or fact of venting; emission or discharge.

verb (used with object)

to give free play or expression to (an emotion, passion, etc.): to vent rage.

to give public utterance to: to vent one's opinions.

to relieve by giving expression to something: He vented his disappointment by criticizing his successor.

to release or discharge (liquid, smoke, etc.).

to furnish or provide with a vent or vents.

verb (used without object)

to be relieved of pressure or discharged by means of a vent.

(of an otter or other animal) to rise to the surface of the water to breathe.

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anchorite

a granular metamorphic rock.

a person who has retired to a solitary place for a life of religious seclusion.

a hobble or fetter for a horse or other animal.

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Origin of vent

1350–1400; (v.) Middle English venten to furnish (a vessel) with a vent, by aphesis < Old French esventer (es- ex¹ + -venter, verbal derivative of vent < Latin ventus wind¹), in later use derivative of the E noun; (noun) partly < French vent (< Latin ventus), partly by aphesis < French évent (Old French esvent, derivative of esventer), partly derivative of the E v.

OTHER WORDS FROM vent

vent·less, adjectiveun·vent·ed, adjective

Words nearby vent

venous sinus, venous sinus of sclera, venous sphygmograph, venous star, venovenostomy, vent, vent gleet, vent one's spleen, vent pipe, vent window, ventage

Definition for vent (2 of 2)

vent²

[ vent ]

/ vɛnt /

noun

a slit in the back or side of a coat, jacket, or other garment, at the bottom part of a seam.

Origin of vent

1400–50; late Middle English vente; replacing Middle English fente < Middle French, derivative of fendre to slit < Latin findere to split

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for vent

But now everything was a good pretext to vent the rebellious mood.
How Havel Inspired the Velvet Revolution|Michael Zantovsky|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Brown, meanwhile, took to Twitter to vent his frustration over the incident: And trouble seems to follow Knight wherever he goes.
New Details Emerge in Suge Knight Shooting at Chris Brown's Pre-VMAs Party on the Sunset Strip|Marlow Stern|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the midst of riots in Ferguson, Missouri, some residents took to secret-sharing app Whisper to vent.
Embarrassment, Fear, and Anger: Ferguson's Emotional Whispers|Melissa Leon|August 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
British model takes to Twitter to vent frustrations with aggressive photographers.
Cara Delevingne: "Paparazzi Act Like Assassins"|Tom Sykes|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Droves of attendees streamed inside to vent their emotions over the course of several days.
David Best Creates a Temple Made of Memories Outside San Francisco|Debra A. Klein|February 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The morose are bitterly dissatisfied with the world in general, and disposed to vent their ill nature upon others.
English Synonyms and Antonyms|James Champlin Fernald
Plug up the throat and vent of shot birds with cotton, and thrust each bird head downward into a cornucopia of paper.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition|Vernon L. Kellogg
Skipper Simms kept the men busy painting and holystoning as a vent for their pent emotions.
The Mucker|Edgar Rice Burroughs
A vent of frank French distaste for the German type of book.
French Classics|William Cleaver Wilkinson
This vent must have a diameter at least equal to the inlet pipe of the holder.
Acetylene, The Principles Of Its Generation And Use|F. H. Leeds

British Dictionary definitions for vent (1 of 2)

vent¹

/ (vɛnt) /

noun

a small opening for the passage or escape of fumes, liquids, etc

the shaft of a volcano or an aperture in the earth's crust through which lava and gases erupt

the external opening of the urinary or genital systems of lower vertebrates

a small aperture at the breech of old guns through which the charge was ignited

an exit, escape, or passage

give vent to to release (an emotion, passion, idea, etc) in an utterance or outburst

verb (mainly tr)

to release or give expression or utterance to (an emotion, idea, etc)he vents his anger on his wife

to provide a vent for or make vents in

to let out (steam, liquid, etc) through a vent

Derived forms of vent

venter, nounventless, adjective

Word Origin for vent

C14: from Old French esventer to blow out, from ex- 1 + venter, from Vulgar Latin ventāre (unattested) to be windy, from Latin ventus wind

British Dictionary definitions for vent (2 of 2)

vent²

/ (vɛnt) /

noun

a vertical slit at the back or both sides of a jacket

verb

(tr) to make a vent or vents in (a jacket)

Word Origin for vent

C15: from Old French fente slit, from fendre to split, from Latin findere to cleave

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 vent

vent

[ vĕnt ]

n.

An opening into a cavity or canal, especially one through which contents are discharged.

Scientific definitions for vent

vent

[ vĕnt ]

An opening, and the conduit leading to it, in the side or at the top of a volcano, permitting the escape of fumes, a liquid, a gas, or steam.

The excretory opening of the digestive tract in animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Also called cloaca
See cloaca.

Idioms and Phrases with vent

vent

In addition to the idiom beginning with vent

vent one's spleen

also see:

give vent to

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vent