evaporate
B2Neutral to formal; common in technical, scientific, and everyday contexts.
Definition
Meaning
To turn from liquid into vapour, typically due to heat.
To disappear or cause to disappear suddenly and completely, often in a metaphorical sense.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The verb can be used both transitively (He evaporated the water) and intransitively (The water evaporated). The metaphorical use for disappearance is often intransitive.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. British English may use 'evaporate' more readily in technical meteorological contexts, while American English frequently employs the metaphorical sense in business/colloquial speech (e.g., 'funds evaporated').
Connotations
Identical. Carries a sense of gradual or sudden, often total, removal or disappearance.
Frequency
Similar frequency. The term is core scientific vocabulary in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
SVO (transitive): The sun evaporated the dew.SV (intransitive): All my confidence evaporated.SVC (intransitive + adjunct): The savings evaporated into nothing.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “evaporate into thin air”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Market liquidity can evaporate during a crisis.
Academic
The solvent was allowed to evaporate under a fume hood.
Everyday
The morning mist will evaporate once the sun comes up.
Technical
The cooling system relies on refrigerant evaporating at low pressure.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The puddles will soon evaporate in this heat.
- The company's early lead evaporated after a poor quarter.
American English
- Let the nail polish remover evaporate completely.
- Public support for the policy evaporated overnight.
adverb
British English
- The fuel evaporatively combusted in the engine. (rare, technical)
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
American English
- Not commonly used as an adverb.
- The liquid disappeared almost evaporatively. (very rare, poetic)
adjective
British English
- Evaporated milk is used in many dessert recipes.
- The evaporative cooling process is highly efficient.
American English
- Add a can of evaporated milk to the mixture.
- The region has a high evaporative rate.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Water evaporates when it is hot.
- The rain evaporated and the sun came out.
- The morning dew evaporated quickly in the summer sun.
- My fears evaporated when I saw my friend arrive.
- If you don't cover the paint, the solvents will evaporate too fast.
- The team's initial enthusiasm evaporated after several setbacks.
- The central bank intervened as market confidence began to evaporate.
- Under reduced pressure, the liquid will evaporate at a much lower temperature.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a VAPOR: To e-VAPOR-ate is to become a vapor.
Conceptual Metaphor
DISAPPEARANCE IS EVAPORATION (e.g., 'His anger evaporated').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid directly translating as 'испаряться' for non-liquid contexts; 'испариться' is fine for liquids, but for abstract things use 'исчезнуть', 'растаять'.
- Do not confuse with 'evaporated milk' (сгущённое молоко без сахара).
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: *'The money was evaporated.' (metaphorical use is usually intransitive) Correct: 'The money evaporated.'
- Incorrect preposition: *'evaporate in the air' Correct: 'evaporate into the air'.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'evaporate' used metaphorically?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily yes for its literal meaning, but it is very commonly used metaphorically for anything that disappears completely and often suddenly (e.g., hopes, profits, anger).
In everyday language, they are similar. Scientifically, 'evaporate' describes the surface change of a liquid to gas at any temperature below boiling, while 'vaporize' can mean to turn any substance into vapor, often implying rapid conversion at the boiling point.
Yes, but this is more common in technical/scientific contexts (e.g., 'The machine evaporates the solvent'). In metaphorical use, it is almost always intransitive.
It is canned milk from which about 60% of the water has been removed by evaporation. It is unsweetened, unlike condensed milk which is sweetened.