ventilation

American  

[ven-tl-ey-shuhn] / ˌvɛn tlˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

ventilations plural

1. the act of ventilating.

2. the state of being ventilated.

3. facilities or equipment for providing ventilation.

---

ventilation British  

/ ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of ventilating or the state of being ventilated

2. an installation in a building that provides a supply of fresh air

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonventilation
  noun
• overventilation
  noun
• reventilation
  noun
• underventilation
  noun
• ventilative
  adjective
• ventilatory
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ventilations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ventilation

1425–75; late Middle English ventilacioun < Latin ventilātiōn- (stem of ventilātiō ), equivalent to ventilāt ( us ) ( see ventilate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

Ventilation is when you let fresh air into a place, or air a room out. If you've ever been in a stuffy, hot room and said, "Someone open a window!" you know what it meas to need ventilation. Ventilation airs out an indoor space by letting fresh air in and stale or smelly air out, and it's more effective if you open several windows on opposite sides of the house or building. A fan in the window can also aid ventilation. The root word is the Latin ventulus, "a breeze," which comes from ventus, "wind."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ventilation ventilations

The manager called 999 and after checks Connor confirms she is dehydrated and doesn't need to be taken to hospital: just fluids, ventilation and a GP visit later in the day.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

"Thanks to this work, we're able to be way ahead of airflow issues, predict what will happen, and configure ventilation controls in the right manner."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

“Digital attacks on physical systems create physical problems,” said Gianni Cuozzo, chief executive of Exein, an Italian startup that embeds security software into microchips used in devices from televisions to vending machines and ventilation systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

Think of people studying to be paramedics, cybersecurity technicians, court reporters, or HVAC—heating, ventilation and air conditioning—specialists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

He was probably working through some ventilation problem, and I doubt if he even heard me.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

However, many responders are falling short of that goal, showing effective lung ventilations as few as two over 10 minutes, with potentially serious consequences, according to the study.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 13, 2023

Firefighters brought patients down to the ground floor, “assisting ventilations as required, for transport,” the department said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2023