evaporate

/ɪˈvæpəreɪt/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪˈvæpəreɪt/ (ame, ipa) · /i-ˈva-p(ə-)ˌrāt/ (ame, mw)

evaporate — verb

1. When a liquid turns into a gas, it has evaporated. The sun, heat, or moving air

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

When a liquid turns into a gas, it has evaporated. The sun, heat, or moving air can make this happen, or the liquid can evaporate by itself.

例句

The water in the metal pot evaporated after Otis left it on the stove.

Morning sun evaporates the dew from the grass within an hour.

present tense for natural process

同義詞
  • vaporize

    more technical or rapid; implies turning into gas by intense heat

  • boil off

    informal, specifically by heating to boiling point

  • dry up

    focuses on the result (no liquid left) rather than the process

反義詞
  • condense

    gas turns back into liquid

  • absorb

    liquid soaks into something rather than rising as gas

文法句型

liquid + evaporates

heat/sun/wind + evaporates + liquid

evaporate + from + surface

evaporate + into + gas/air

用法筆記

Frequently used intransitively for natural processes. The transitive use (heat evaporates water) is more common in scientific or instructional contexts.

常見錯誤

❌The water boiled away on its own at room temperature.
✅The water evaporated at room temperature.
💡Boiling requires bubbling at a specific heat; evaporation happens at the surface at any temperature.
❌The sun boiled the puddle.
✅The sun evaporated the puddle.
💡The sun does not boil things; it heats them until the liquid evaporates.

2. When something that is not a liquid — such as a feeling, a hope, a supply of mon

2.動詞不及物B2
釋義

When something that is not a liquid — such as a feeling, a hope, a supply of money, or public support — slowly becomes less and finally disappears, you can say it evaporates.

例句

Vivek's anger evaporated when his daughter ran over and hugged his legs.

emotions as subject: anger evaporated

All hope for a peaceful solution evaporated after the attack on the village.

同義詞
  • disappear

    more general; can be sudden or gradual

  • fade

    implies slow, gentle loss; less final than evaporate

  • drain away

    suggests something flowing out steadily

  • melt away

    informal; implies softening and disappearance

反義詞

文法句型

abstract_noun + evaporates

evaporate + adverb (quickly/slowly/gradually)

evaporate + prepositional_phrase (overnight/in an instant)

用法筆記

Subject is usually an abstract noun such as hope, anger, confidence, support, or savings. Not used for a person or object that suddenly disappears — use vanish or disappear instead.

常見錯誤

❌He evaporated from the room before I could say goodbye.
✅He vanished from the room before I could say goodbye.
💡Evaporate is not used for a person's sudden physical disappearance.
❌My phone evaporated from my bag.
✅My phone disappeared from my bag.
💡Evaporate describes gradual loss, not theft or misplacement.