vent

¹ American  

[vent] / vɛnt /

noun

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

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

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

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

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

6. expression; utterance; release.

   to give vent to one's emotions.

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

---

verb (used with object)

• vents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vented,
  past participle,  past
• venting
  present participle

1. to give free play or expression to (an emotion, passion, etc.).

   to vent rage.

2. to give public utterance to.

   to vent one's opinions.

3. to relieve by giving expression to something.

   He vented his disappointment by criticizing his successor.

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

5. to furnish or provide with a vent or vents.

verb (used without object)

• vents,
  present (3rd person singular)
• vented,
  past participle,  past
• venting
  present participle

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

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

vent ² American  

[vent] / vɛnt /

noun

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

---

vent ¹ British  

/ vɛnt /

noun

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

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

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

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

5. an exit, escape, or passage

6. to release (an emotion, passion, idea, etc) in an utterance or outburst

---

verb

1. to release or give expression or utterance to (an emotion, idea, etc)

   he vents his anger on his wife

2. to provide a vent for or make vents in

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

vent ² British  

/ vɛnt /

noun

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

---

verb

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

vent Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing vent

• give vent to

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• venter
  noun
• unvented
  adjective
• ventless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• venting
  present
• vented
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• vent
  simple
• vents
  simple
• have vented
  perfect
• has vented
  perfect
• am venting
  progressive
• are venting
  progressive
• is venting
  progressive
• have been venting
  perfect progressive
• has been venting
  perfect progressive

Past

• vented
  simple
• had vented
  perfect
• was venting
  progressive
• were venting
  progressive
• had been venting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will vent
  simple
• will have vented
  perfect
• will be venting
  progressive
• will have been venting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of vent¹

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, wind ¹

Origin of vent²

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”

Explanation

When you vent, you let something out, whether it's hot air or your feelings. If you vent your feelings, you let out a strong and sometimes angry emotion and just say what you think. You might vent your rage when your brother once again gets out of doing his chores. You also might vent something to air it out. If it's too hot inside your car, vent it by opening a window. The noun vent refers to a hole that lets air escape. A clothes dryer has a vent that sends hot air outside. A vent in nature is a crack in the earth's surface that lets hot gas and lava escape — like a volcano.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

vent vents vented venting

One of these organisms is the deep-sea archaeon Methanocaldococcus infernus, which lives in volcanic marine environments where vent fluids can reach temperatures above the boiling point of water.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

Egyptians enlist AI “SpongeBob” to vent over living conditions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

The ferry set off at 17:20, bound for Troon, but during this journey a large and uncontrolled release of gas occurred from a small vent at the side of the ship.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Norfolk Southern has publicly disagreed, saying the only motivation in recommending vent and burn “was the health and safety of the community and first responders.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

A fire pit was set into the center of the floor, and a mesh of thin branches above acted as a vent.

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

The Italian stopped at Turn One on his first lap on the soft tyres, with smoke seeping out of the cooling vents on his engine cover.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The state also requires home hardening measures for the structure itself — from covering vents with a mesh to block embers from entering to using fire-resistant building materials — for all new constructions since 2008.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

That parallel evolution may have been crucial because it could have allowed the two lineages to become less dependent on the chemistry of hydrothermal vents and eventually survive as independent cells.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

She works mostly under a hood, which vents the chemical and fecal fumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Maybe you get sucked into furnace systems and blown out through the vents.

From "Mockingbird" by Kathryn Erskine

Residents in the worst-affected areas have vented their frustrations by setting piles on trash on fire or banging on pots and pans.

From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026

On Monday night, he vented his own frustration over the fair’s failure through his typical defensive bluster.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

However, that relationship has become strained of late, with leaks suggesting Trump has on several occasions vented his frustration with Netanyahu during phone conversations between the two leaders.

From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026

He vented his frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Having no way to separate out the C02, the suit deliberately vented air to the Martian atmosphere, then backfilled with nitrogen.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

When asked about the conversation by internal affairs, the report said, McKay told investigators that the conversation started with Burgos venting about an applicant, but acknowledged that it should not have been allowed to continue.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

As his father reminds John during a venting session that occurs after Hal nonchalantly almost kills him, “They’re allowed to have tantrums. We’re not.”

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

The online outrage erupted almost instantly—some from people venting about “Orwellian” Silicon Valley startup culture.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

They are simply plugged into the nearest socket and work by drawing in warm air, cooling it, and venting heat outside through a window via a pipe or ducting.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

So busy were we venting our irritation that we scarcely noticed the serving maid who approached us until she spoke our names.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

• chimney
• duct
• flue
• pipe
• ventilator