What does vaporing mean?
Vaporing refers to using an electronic cigarette or a similar device to inhale an aerosolized liquid, usually containing nicotine. It can be treated as a noun naming the activity or as the present participle of the verb vape. The term is prominent in discussions of public health, regulation, advertising, and youth behavior, so it often carries more serious or contested connotations than the everyday expression smoking. Although vapor is central to the word's sound and history, the visible cloud produced by an e-cigarette is an aerosol rather than simple water vapor; it may consist of fine liquid droplets suspended in gas. Vaporing is also the less common of two standard-looking spellings, with vaping being more frequent in contemporary usage. Nevertheless, vaporing is established in dictionaries and remains useful when discussing the practice as a gerund or noun.
The act or practice of using an electronic cigarette or similar device to inhale an aerosolized liquid, typically containing nicotine.
"Public-health officials cited the growing popularity of vaporing among young people."
The noun is usually uncountable, although the plural vaporings is occasionally used for separate instances.
To use an electronic cigarette or similar device by inhaling an aerosolized liquid, typically containing nicotine.
"The store prohibits customers from vaporing anywhere inside the premises."
This is the present participle and gerund form of vape; vaping is the more common spelling in modern usage.
Rare and normally restricted to separate instances; vaporing is usually treated as an uncountable noun.
"The report counted three separate vaporings inside the school."
The cloud is not merely water vapor: an e-cigarette aerosol can contain tiny liquid droplets as well as gases.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vaporing
The word ultimately traces to Latin vapor, meaning “steam” or “watery exhalation,” which developed into English vapor and related forms such as vaporize and vaporous. The modern verb vape was formed from that vocabulary during the early 21st-century development of electronic-cigarette culture. Vaporing developed as an alternative form of vaping and as a noun for the practice, while vaporizer, vaporize, and vaporous preserve the same Latin root.
How vaporing is actually used
Vaporing is well established but less frequent than vaping. It is not primarily a regional variant, although the related noun vapor is spelled vapour in British English.
Easily confused with vaporing
Vaping is the more frequent spelling of the present participle and gerund; vaporing is also established and can function as a noun.