ventilate

American  

[ven-tl-eyt] / ˈvɛn tlˌeɪt /

verb (used with object)

ventilated, ventilating

1. to provide (a room, mine, etc.) with fresh air in place of air that has been used or contaminated.

2. Medicine/Medical.

   1. to oxygenate (blood) by exposure to air in the lungs or gills.

   2. to assist the breathing of (a person), as with a respirator.

3. (of air or wind) to circulate through or blow on, so as to cool or freshen the air of.

   Cool breezes ventilated the house.

4. to expose to the action of air or wind.

   to ventilate floor timbers.

5. to submit (a question, problem, etc.) to open, full examination and discussion.

   Synonyms:

   report, circulate, publicize, broadcast

6. to give utterance or expression to (an opinion, complaint, etc.).

7. to furnish with a vent or opening, as for the escape of air or gas.

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verb (used without object)

ventilated, ventilating

1. to give utterance or expression to one's emotions, opinions, complaints, etc.

ventilate British  

/ ˈvɛntɪˌleɪt /

verb

1. to drive foul air out of (an enclosed area)

2. to provide with a means of airing

3. to expose (a question, grievance, etc) to public examination or discussion

4. physiol to oxygenate (the blood) in the capillaries of the lungs

5. to winnow (grain)

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Other Word Forms

• overventilate verb (used with object)
• reventilate verb (used with object)
• self-ventilated adjective
• underventilate verb (used with object)
• underventilated adjectiveunderventilated, underventilating
• unventilated adjective
• ventilable adjective
• well-ventilated adjective

Etymology

Origin of ventilate

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English ventilatten “to blow (something) away,” from Latin ventilātus (past participle of ventilāre “to fan”), equivalent to vent(us) “wind” + -il- verb suffix (variant of -ul-, originally after derivatives of nouns ending in -ulus ) + -ātus suffix forming adjectives; see origin at -ule, -ate ¹; cf. speculate, wind ¹

Explanation

To ventilate is to let something flow freely, whether it's air or ideas. It's especially important to ventilate your art studio if you're using spray paint. When a doctor uses the word ventilate, she's usually talking specifically about air moving through a patient's lungs: "We need to artificially ventilate him until his airway is clear." Otherwise, when we ventilate something, we're almost always trying to get more clean or cool air flowing in and moving around: "You need to ventilate this room better before you set up your screen printing business here." The root of ventilate means "blowing."

Example Sentences

In the future, the technology could help ventilate greenhouses or residential buildings without conventional energy sources.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026

After turning off the burners and opening windows to ventilate the apartment, the team contacted firefighters and stayed with the woman until they arrived.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

This ramification wraps around an inner structure, enabling cooling winds off the sea to ventilate the property.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2023

This can cause people to snore, or it can also completely obstruct the airway and cause people to not be able to ventilate well.

From Scientific American • Jun. 29, 2023

He began by advising her to moderate the rigor of her mourning, to ventilate the house, to forgive the world for the death of José Arcadio.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• vent