vape

verb

ˈvāp 

vaped; vaping

transitive + intransitive

: to inhale vapor through the mouth from a usually battery-operated electronic device (such as an electronic cigarette) that heats up and vaporizes a liquid or solid

This electronic cigarette … contains a small reservoir of liquid nicotine solution that is vaporized to form an aerosol mist. The user "vapes," or puffs on the vapor, to get a hit of the addictive nicotine …

—John Tierney

When a person tokes, eats or vapes cannabis, a wave of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, washes into the brain.

—Laura Sanders

vaper noun

The problem is that little is known about the precise dangers of being in the same space as a vaper indulging their e-habit.

—Amber Dance

Examples of vape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Using data from 2019 to 2021, the surgeon general’s 837-page report shows that 37.8% of LGBTQ+ people have vaped, compared to just 16.5% of straight people. —Mathew Rodriguez, Them, 3 Dec. 2024

While vaping among youth is declining, more than 1.6 million children use the products, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Devin Dwyer, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2024

Is vaping better than smoking?Here's what experts say. —Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 15 Nov. 2024

State of play: Though all local school districts have student tobacco bans, some schools are taking it a step further and installing vape detectors, which are similar to smoke detectors and can alert administrators when students are vaping. —Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for vapor entry 1, in reference to the aerosol produced by the cigarette, by analogy with smoke entry 2

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

vape

verb

ˈvāp 

: to inhale vapor through the mouth from a usually battery-operated electronic device that heats up and vaporizes a liquid or solid

Medical Definition

vape

verb

ˈvāp 

vaped; vaping

intransitive verb

: to inhale and exhale vapor from an electronic cigarette or similar device like someone smoking a conventional cigarette

transitive verb

: to inhale or exhale the vapor of

vaper noun

Vapers can inhale huge numbers of very small aerosol particles into the lung's tiniest airways.

—Janet Raloff, Science News