evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion i-ˌva-pə-ˈrā-shən 

: the act or process of evaporating:

a

: change from a liquid to a vapor

evaporation of water

But warming increases the evaporation of ocean water, which could increase the snowfall on the Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets, remove water from the ocean, and lower sea level.

—Jack M. Hollander

b

: the vanishing or disappearance of something

The pope's attempt to arrest the evaporation of the Christian tradition in Europe was also unsuccessful.

—Conrad Black

No longer a machine that accelerates the evaporation of resources, in the Roman context the banquet becomes a theatre of wealth and property, of social distinction, or social-climbing.

—James N. Davidson

Examples of evaporation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, there was partial ocean evaporation, and darkness that likely harmed shallow-water photosynthetic microbes in the short term. —Hannah Peart, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024

And the flip side of drought—the product of excess evaporation levels during heat waves—can lead to intense rains and serious floods, as occurred in Tuscany and surrounding regions last spring. —Mark Schapiro, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Oct. 2024

Also, Phoenix had been unusually dry during the summer and fall, Murphy said, which allowed more of the sun's energy to go into heating the air and surface rather than being taken up by evaporation from moist soils. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Oct. 2024

Inhale the Oils Using the Dry Evaporation Method The dry evaporation method is another way to inhale essential oils indirectly but effectively. —Emily Brown, Mph, Verywell Health, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion

i-ˌvap-ə-ˈrā-shən

: the process of evaporating

Medical Definition

evaporation

noun

evap·​o·​ra·​tion i-ˌvap-ə-ˈrā-shən 

: the change by which any substance is converted from a liquid state into and carried off in vapor

specifically : the conversion of a liquid into vapor in order to remove it wholly or partly from a liquid of higher boiling point or from solids dissolved in or mixed with it

evaporate

i-ˈvap-ə-ˌrāt 

verb

evaporated; evaporating

evaporator

-ˌrāt-ər 

noun