Dictionary.com

vent

1
[ vent ]
/ vɛnt /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: vent / vented / venting on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object)
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.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of vent

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb venten “to furnish (a vessel) with a vent,” by shortening of Old French esventer (equivalent to es- + -venter, verbal derivative of vent, from Latin ventus “wind”), in later use derivative of the English noun; the noun derives partly from French vent, partly by shortening of French évent (Old French esvent, derivative of esventer ), and partly derivative of the English verb; see ex-1, wind1

OTHER WORDS FROM vent

ventless, adjectiveun·vent·ed, adjective

Other definitions 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

2
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English vent(e); replacing Middle English fente, from Old French or Middle French, derivative of fendre “to slit,” from Latin findere “to split”
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use vent in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for vent (1 of 2)

vent1
/ (vɛnt) /

noun
verb (mainly tr)

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

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.
  1. The excretory opening of the digestive tract in animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Also called cloaca
  2. See cloaca.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with vent

vent

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK