ventilate

[ ven-tl-eyt ]

/ ˈvɛn tlˌeɪt /

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verb (used with object), ven·ti·lat·ed, ven·ti·lat·ing.

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

Medicine/Medical.

to oxygenate (blood) by exposure to air in the lungs or gills.
to assist the breathing of (a person), as with a respirator.

(of air or wind) to circulate through or blow on, so as to cool or freshen the air of: Cool breezes ventilated the house.

to expose to the action of air or wind: to ventilate floor timbers.

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

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

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

verb (used without object), ven·ti·lat·ed, ven·ti·lat·ing.

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

RELATED WORDS

open, airy

Nearby words

ventage, ventail, ventana cave, venter, ventifact, ventilate, ventilation, ventilation-perfusion scan, ventilationist, ventilative, ventilator

Origin of ventilate

1400–50; late Middle English ventilatten to blow (something) away < Latin ventilātus (past participle of ventilāre to fan), equivalent to vent(us) wind¹ + -il- v. suffix (variant of -ul-, orig. after derivatives of nouns ending in -ulus -ule; cf. speculate) + -ātus -ate¹

SYNONYMS FOR ventilate

5 broadcast, publicize, circulate, report.

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Related forms

ven·ti·la·ble, adjectiveo·ver·ven·ti·late, verb (used with object), o·ver·ven·ti·lat·ed, o·ver·ven·ti·lat·ing.re·ven·ti·late, verb (used with object), re·ven·ti·lat·ed, re·ven·ti·lat·ing.self-ven·ti·lat·ed, adjective

un·der·ven·ti·late, verb (used with object), un·der·ven·ti·lat·ed, un·der·ven·ti·lat·ing.un·der·ven·ti·lat·ed, adjectiveun·ven·ti·lat·ed, adjectivewell-ven·ti·lat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ventilated

The feelings that John Derbyshire ventilated—where did they come from?
Today's Question: Fire John Derbyshire?|David Frum|May 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
In this way, any articles placed therein will be readily dried and ventilated.
Convenient Houses|Louis Henry Gibson
In the extensions are respectively the two large, well-lighted and ventilated rooms for the mens and womens wards.
The History of the City of Fredericksburg, Virginia|S. J. (Silvanus Jackson) Quinn
For the same reason, riper melons can be shipped under the refrigeration than in ventilated cars.
The Vegetable Garden|Anonymous

Marmaduke is preparing a small gravity tank for his machine, to be used when the pressure tank is ventilated by a bullet.
Cavalry of the Clouds|Alan Bott
The traps should be ventilated by 1½-inch or two-inch connections with the outer air, as shown by cut.
Convenient Houses|Louis Henry Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for ventilated

ventilate

/ (ˈvɛntɪˌleɪt) /

verb (tr)

to drive foul air out of (an enclosed area)

to provide with a means of airing

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

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

to winnow (grain)

Derived Formsventilable, adjective

Word Origin for ventilate

C15: from Latin ventilāre to fan, from ventulus diminutive of ventus wind

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

Word Origin and History for ventilated

ventilate

mid-15c., "to blow away something" (of wind), from Latin ventilatus, past participle of ventilare "to brandish, toss in the air, winnow, fan, agitate, set in motion," from ventulus "a breeze," diminutive of ventus "wind" (see wind (n.1)). Original notion is of cleaning grain by tossing it in the air and letting the wind blow away the chaff. Meaning "supply a room with fresh air" first recorded 1660s (implied in ventilation). Slang sense of "shoot" (someone) is recorded from 1875. Related: Ventilated; ventilating.