vapor pressure

noun

: the pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its solid or liquid form

called also vapor tension

Examples of vapor pressure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the temperature increases in a linear way, vapor pressure deficit—essentially, the thirstiness of the atmosphere—increases exponentially, pulling an increasing amount of water from trees, other plants, and soil. —WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023

Scientists call this phenomenon the vapor pressure deficit. —Jane Braxton Little, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2023

As the average and extreme maximum temperatures increase, vapor pressure deficit — essentially the thirstiness of the atmosphere — rises exponentially. —Jim Robbins Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023

The researchers found that changes in global mean temperature are positively linked with changes in the Western North American vapor pressure deficit, a measure of how effectively the air can dry out plants and vegetation that ultimately become fuel for wildfires, Dahl said. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above