ventilator

American  

[ven-tl-ey-ter] / ˈvɛn tlˌeɪ tər /

noun

ventilators plural

1. a person or thing that ventilates.

2. a contrivance or opening for replacing foul or stagnant air with fresh air.

3. Medicine/Medical. an apparatus to produce artificial respiration, moving air into and out of a patient’s lungs.

   The patient presented with signs of respiratory failure and was placed immediately on a ventilator.

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ventilator British  

/ ˈvɛntɪˌleɪtə /

noun

1. an opening or device, such as a fan, used to ventilate a room, building, etc

2. med a machine that maintains a flow of air into and out of the lungs of a patient who is unable to breathe normally

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ventilators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ventilator

First recorded in 1735–45; ventilat(e) + -or ²

Compare meaning

How does ventilator compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• ventilator vs. respirator

Explanation

A ventilator is a machine that brings in good air that's safe to breathe and keeps bad air out. A kitchen ventilator uses fans and filters to direct greasy stove exhaust outside. There are architectural ventilators, for keeping the air inside buildings clean, and also medical ventilators, which work to keep breathable air moving in and out of a patient's lungs. This kind of ventilator is only used when someone is unable to breathe effectively on their own. In both cases, ventilators are all about air. The word comes from the Latin root ventulus, "a breeze."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ventilator ventilators

During the Covid pandemic, America faced an acute ventilator shortage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

He spent nine days on a ventilator and 18 days on dialysis, during which time doctors gave him blood, platelet and plasma transfusions.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

On Wednesday, the government had released photos of him hooked up to a ventilator and visibly emaciated, after acknowledging that his situation was "critical."

From Barron's ● May 31, 2026

He says his physical condition has worsened while being in hospital, that he is weaker, more dependent on his ventilator and finding it harder to drive his wheelchair.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

I try to speak but can’t because of the ventilator.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

It's a mammoth task: The vast majority of the city's 20,500 licensed food carts -- selling pretzels, peanuts and ice cream -- rely on generators to power stoves, freezers and ventilators.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Within weeks, the GM-Ventec partnership began shipping thousands of ventilators to hospitals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Does she wonder how the people hospitalized on ventilators or who lost loved ones feel?

From Salon ● May 11, 2026

Although the fungus can exist on the skin without causing symptoms, patients who depend on ventilators face a much greater risk.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 23, 2025

And food had stopped coming in through the ventilators, and the days and nights were colder all the time.

From "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut

Related Words

• fireplace
• flue
• furnace
• hearth
• pipe
• stack
• vent