aerosol

IPA/ˈeərəsɒl/
KK[ˈɛrəsˌɑl]IPA/ˈerəsɑːl/

aerosol — noun

  • aerosolsingular
  • aerosolsplural

1. a small metal can holding pressurised liquid — for example, deodorant, paint, or

1.nounB1
Definition

a small metal can holding pressurised liquid — for example, deodorant, paint, or insect spray — that comes out as a fine mist when you press the button on top.

Example

Theo shook the aerosol of red paint before spraying her bicycle frame.

aerosol of + substance noun

The flight attendant reminded passengers that aerosols are not allowed in checked luggage.

plural form for travel / safety contexts

Common collocations
  • aerosol can
  • aerosol spray
  • empty aerosol
  • spray an aerosol
Synonyms
  • spray can

    everyday equivalent; emphasises the can shape

  • atomizer

    older / fancier word, usually for perfume bottles with a pump

Grammar Patterns

aerosol of + noun

aerosol can / aerosol spray

Usage Note

Often used with 'can' or 'spray' (aerosol can, aerosol spray) when the container is the focus. Treat as countable: 'an aerosol', 'two aerosols'.

Common Mistakes

I bought a aerosol of deodorant.
I bought an aerosol of deodorant.
'aerosol' starts with a vowel sound, so use 'an'.
The shop sells many aerosol.
The shop sells many aerosols.
countable noun, add -s in the plural.

2. very small drops of liquid or pieces of solid material that float in the air or

2.nounC1
Definition

very small drops of liquid or pieces of solid material that float in the air or in another gas; for example, the cloud of droplets a person breathes out, or smoke from a fire.

Example

When Ines sneezed, an aerosol of tiny droplets shot across the desk toward her laptop.

aerosol of + droplets/particles

Doctors warned that the virus can travel through aerosols produced by talking and coughing.

scientific / medical context

Common collocations
  • volcanic aerosols
  • atmospheric aerosols
  • respiratory aerosols
  • release aerosols
Synonyms
  • mist

    everyday word for a cloud of tiny water drops in the air

  • suspension

    technical term covering particles held in a liquid or gas

  • spray

    general word; aerosol stresses how small the particles are

Grammar Patterns

aerosol of + substance

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about the airborne mist itself, not the container that holds it. Common in science, medicine, and environmental writing.

Common Mistakes

The factory releases aerosol into the sky.
The factory releases aerosols into the sky.
usually plural in scientific use.

Word family

  • aerosolize
    verbC2
  • aerosolized
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe liquid being broken into fine drops, but each has its own home. 'Aerosol' usually means the pressurised metal can itself, or the airborne particles it produces, and is the standard word in supermarkets, airline rules, and recycling guides. 'Spray' is the most general everyday word: a plant spray, hairspray, or a quick spray of perfume — it can be the action, the device, or the liquid. 'Atomizer' sounds older and a little fancy; it usually refers to a perfume bottle with a small pump, not a pressurised can. 'Mist' describes the soft cloud of drops once they have left the container, with no mention of how they got there. So you buy an aerosol, give your hair a spray, refill an atomizer, and walk through a mist.

aerosol ↗spray ↗atomizer ↗mist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • aerosol can
  • aerosol spray
  • aerosol particles
  • aerosol propellant
  • hair aerosol

Phrases

  • release aerosols into the air
  • shake the aerosol well
  • ban aerosols in luggage

Prepositions

  • aerosol of (paint / deodorant / droplets)
  • in an aerosol

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

Coined in the 1910s by combining 'aero-' (from Greek 'aēr', meaning air) with 'sol', short for 'solution'. The word first described tiny particles drifting in the air, the way salt and dust float in solution. From the 1940s, when pressurised spray cans of insecticide were issued to soldiers in World War II, the same word came to mean the can itself — and that everyday meaning is now the more familiar one.