- to change or cause to change into vapour or into the gaseous state
- to evaporate or disappear or cause to evaporate or disappear, esp suddenly
- to destroy or be destroyed by being turned into a gas as a result of extreme heat (for example, generated by a nuclear explosion)
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
va•por•ize /ˈveɪpəˌraɪz/USA pronunciation
v., -ized, -iz•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Physicsto (cause to) change into vapor: [no object]At what temperature does alcohol vaporize?[~ + object]The heat from a hydrogen bomb blast would vaporize entire lakes.
va•por•ize
(vā′pə rīz′),USA pronunciation v., -ized, -iz•ing.
v.t.
v.i.
va′por•iz′a•ble, adj.
v.t.
- Physicsto cause to change into vapor.
v.i.
- Physicsto become converted into vapor.
- to indulge in boastful talk;
speak braggingly.
- vapor + -ize 1625–35
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
vaporize, vaporise /ˈveɪpəˌraɪz/ vb
'vaporize' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):