Evaporate
/ɪˈvæpəreɪt/
Definitions
To change from a liquid or solid state into a vapor; to disappear or vanish.
/ɪˈvæpəreɪt/
To change into vapor; to disappear
The water in the kettle evaporated quickly.
💡 Simply: Think of water on the ground after the sun comes out. It goes away, right? That's because it's evaporating! It's turning into a gas and floating up into the air. Like when you leave your wet clothes out to dry, the water in them evaporates.
👶 For kids: When something turns into a gas and disappears, like when a puddle of water goes away in the sun.
More Examples
Her fears evaporated as she gained confidence.
Let the alcohol evaporate before you light the match.
The rain evaporated quickly after the sun came out.
How It's Used
"Water evaporates at 100 degrees Celsius."
"His hopes of winning the lottery evaporated when he lost the ticket."
Idioms & expressions
evaporate into thin air
To disappear completely or vanish suddenly, leaving no trace.
"The evidence evaporated into thin air, leaving the police with no leads."
From Latin *evaporatus*, past participle of *evaporare* "to give off vapor, vanish," from *e-* "out" + *vapor* "steam, vapor."
The word 'evaporate' began to appear in scientific literature in the 17th century, describing the process of a liquid turning into vapor. The figurative use, referring to the disappearance of something non-physical, developed later.
Memory tip
Imagine water on a hot sidewalk turning into an invisible gas – it *evaporates*!