What does evaporate mean?
Evaporate means to change from a liquid state into vapour or gas, most often as a result of heat or exposure to air. Water left in an open container will slowly evaporate; boiling accelerates the process dramatically. The verb also carries a strong figurative meaning: when hopes, confidence, savings, or support 'evaporate', they dwindle or vanish entirely, often unexpectedly and without any obvious cause. This metaphorical usage is extremely common in journalism and everyday conversation, giving the word a slightly dramatic or literary connotation even in casual speech. Evaporate derives from the Latin 'vapor', meaning steam or exhalation, and entered English in the early modern period through scientific writing. It is fully standard in both British and American English, works comfortably in formal and informal contexts alike, and pairs readily with adverbs like 'quickly', 'slowly', or 'completely'. Related forms include evaporation, evaporated, and evaporative.
To convert from a liquid or solid state into vapour or gas.
"The puddle evaporated within hours of the rain stopping."
This is by far the most common sense.
To disappear, diminish, or come to nothing.
"Their enthusiasm for the project soon evaporated."
Typically used with abstract nouns like hope, confidence, wealth, or support.
To draw off or remove moisture from something, typically by applying heat.
"Simmer gently to evaporate some of the liquid before adding the cream."
Less common than intransitive use; found mainly in cooking, chemistry, and industrial contexts.
The word 'evaporate' comes from Latin 'vapor' — meaning steam or exhalation — making it a direct descendant of the very thing it describes.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of evaporate
The English verb 'evaporate' comes from the Latin 'evaporare', formed from 'ex-' ('out of') and 'vapor' ('steam, heat, exhalation'). It entered English in the early modern period, appearing in scientific and alchemical texts of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries alongside related terms like 'vapor' and 'vaporise'. The root 'vapor' also gives us 'vapid', originally describing flat or stale-tasting wine that had lost its spirit. The figurative sense of things disappearing or coming to nothing developed naturally from the physical process of moisture vanishing into air.
Related word forms
How evaporate is actually used
Common in both scientific/technical registers and everyday figurative speech. The figurative sense is frequent with abstract nouns such as 'hope', 'confidence', 'wealth', or 'support'. Intransitive use is far more common than transitive, though the transitive form appears in cooking and industrial contexts (e.g. 'evaporated milk').
Easily confused with evaporate
Vaporize implies a more violent or rapid conversion into gas (often through intense heat), whereas evaporate describes a gradual, natural transition at lower temperatures.