evaporate

/ɪˈvæpəreɪt/

/ɪˈvæpəreɪt/

Other forms: evaporated; evaporating; evaporates

To evaporate is to fade away or to literally turn into vapor. If you leave a glass of water out and the water slowly disappears, it's not being consumed by elves; it's evaporating.

People often use the word evaporate metaphorically because it produces a strong image of something disappearing like vapor. When the economy goes through a rough patch, funding for projects like education and the arts tends to evaporate or disappear. Your feelings for a mate might evaporate after you spend too much time with him or her.

Definitions of evaporate

1. verb

   change into a vapor
   “The water evaporated in front of our eyes”

   synonyms: vaporise

   vaporise

   cause to change into a vapor

   types:

   pervaporate

   evaporate through a semipermeable membrane

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
2. verb

   cause to change into a vapor
   “The chemist evaporated the water”

   synonyms: vaporise

   vaporise

   change into a vapor

   types:

   pervaporate

   cause (a liquid) to evaporate through a semipermeable membrane

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
3. verb

   lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization leaving a more concentrated residue
   “evaporate milk”

   synonyms: vaporise, vaporize

   types:

   transpire

   exude water vapor

   type of:

   change integrity

   change in physical make-up
4. verb

   become less intense and fade away gradually
   “her hopes evaporated after years of waiting for her fiance”

   synonyms: disappear, melt

   type of:

   weaken

   become weaker