vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

vaporized; vaporizing

transitive verb

1

: to convert (as by the application of heat or by spraying) into vapor

2

: to cause to become dissipated

3

: to destroy by or as if by converting into vapor

a tank vaporized by a shell

intransitive verb

1

: to become vaporized

2

: vapor sense 2

vaporizable

ˈvā-pə-ˌrī-zə-bəl 

adjective

vaporization

ˌvā-pər-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Synonyms

• annihilate
• cream
• decimate
• demolish
• desolate
• destroy
• devastate
• do in
• extinguish
• nuke
• pull down
• pulverize
• raze
• rub out
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• tear down
• total
• waste
• wrack
• wreck

Examples of vaporize in a Sentence

Heat is used to vaporize the liquid.

Pressure causes the chemical to vaporize.

Recent Examples on the Web

The mission's rover will look inside the icy crater for water ice and other volatiles – chemical elements that can vaporize into a gas – at the lunar south pole. —George Petras, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

Couches and mattresses, TVs and refrigerators, tires and toys, even clothes are full of polyurethane and plastics, which vaporize into a toxic smoke once they’re set on fire, said Dr. Gina Solomon, chief of the Division of Occupational, Environmental and Climate Medicine at UC San Francisco. —Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

Here's how to fix it Hundreds of small businesses have been vaporized, and thousands of people have been forced to flee from the potential path of the fires. —Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Jan. 2025

Glacial material could be vaporized in such a scenario, leading to ash emissions that could disrupt air travel. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

vapor entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

1803, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

vaporized; vaporizing

: to turn from a liquid or solid into vapor

vaporization

ˌvā-pə-rə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

Medical Definition

vaporize

verb

va·​por·​ize

variants also British vaporise

ˈvā-pə-ˌrīz 

vaporized also British vaporised; vaporizing also British vaporising

transitive verb

: to convert from a liquid or solid into a vapor

vaporized plaque in an artery with laser treatment

intransitive verb

: to become vaporized

vaporizable adjective

also British vaporisable

-ˌrī-zə-bəl