exhaust

[ ig-zawst ]

verb (used with object)

1. to drain of strength or energy, wear out, or fatigue greatly, as a person:

   I have exhausted myself working.

   Synonyms: debilitate, prostrate, enervate, tire

   Antonyms: invigorate, strengthen

2. to use up or consume completely; expend the whole of:

   He exhausted a fortune in stock-market speculation.

   Synonyms: dissipate, squander, waste

3. to draw out all that is essential in (a subject, topic, etc.); treat or study thoroughly.
4. to empty by drawing out the contents:

   to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.

   Synonyms: void

   Antonyms: fill

5. to create a vacuum in.
6. to draw out or drain off completely.
7. to deprive wholly of useful or essential properties, possessions, resources, etc.
8. Chemistry, Pharmacology. to deprive of ingredients by the use of solvents, as a drug.
9. to destroy the fertility of (soil), as by intensive cultivation.

verb (used without object)

1. to pass out or escape, as spent steam from the cylinder of an engine.

noun

, Machinery.

1. the escape of steam or gases from the cylinder of an engine.
2. the steam or gases ejected.

   Synonyms: vapor, smoke, fume

3. Also called exhaust system. the parts of an engine through which the exhaust is ejected.

exhaust

/ ɪɡˈzɔːst /

verb

1. to drain the energy of; tire out

   to exhaust someone by constant questioning

2. to deprive of resources, etc

   a nation exhausted by war

3. to deplete totally; expend; consume

   to exhaust food supplies

4. to empty (a container) by drawing off or pumping out (the contents)
5. to develop or discuss thoroughly so that no further interest remains

   to exhaust a topic of conversation

6. to remove gas from (a vessel, etc) in order to reduce the pressure or create a vacuum; evacuate
7. to remove or use up the active ingredients from (a drug, solution, etc)
8. to destroy the fertility of (soil) by excessive cultivation
9. intr (of steam or other gases) to be emitted or to escape from an engine after being expanded

noun

1. gases ejected from an engine as waste products
2. 1. the expulsion of expanded gas or steam from an engine
   2. ( as modifier )

      exhaust stroke

3. 1. the parts of an engine through which the exhausted gases or steam pass
   2. ( as modifier )

      exhaust pipe

      exhaust valve

Derived Forms

• exˈhaustible, adjective
• exˌhaustiˈbility, noun
• exˈhausting, adjective
• exˈhausted, adjective
• exˈhauster, noun

Other Words From

• ex·haust·er noun
• ex·haust·i·ble adjective
• ex·haust·i·bil·i·ty [ig-zaws-t, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• mul·ti·ex·haust noun
• non·ex·haust·ed adjective
• non·ex·haust·i·ble adjective
• pre·ex·haust verb (used with object)
• un·ex·haust·ed adjective
• un·ex·haust·ed·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of exhaust¹

1515–25; 1895–1900 exhaust fordef 11; < Latin exhaustus emptied out, drained out, past participle of exhaurīre

Word History and Origins

Origin of exhaust¹

C16: from Latin exhaustus made empty, from exhaurīre to draw out, from haurīre to draw, drain

Example Sentences

When a plane passes through cold humid air, the contrails form as the vapour from the engines condenses on unburned fuel fragments in the exhaust stream.

From BBC

Teachers, who don’t always qualify for state disability or pay during leave through the Family and Medical Leave Act, are instead expected to exhaust sick days, pay for their own substitutes, return to work before they’re fully healed or time our births with summer vacation.

From Los Angeles Times

Not long after its Proposition 65 designation, the California Air Resources Board classified diesel exhaust as a toxic air contaminant, enabling the agency to regulate it.

From Los Angeles Times

The study, conducted by Silent Spring and UC Berkeley researchers, suggests the law helped to reduce exposure to toxic substances commonly found in diesel exhaust and plastic materials.

From Los Angeles Times

They included several types of phthalates, chemicals used to make plastics flexible; chloroform, a toxic byproduct from disinfecting water with chlorine; and toluene, a hazardous substance found in vehicle exhaust.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drain
• fatigue
• frazzle
• impoverish
• overwork
• sap
• tire out
• use up
• weaken
• wear out
• weary