exhaust
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To use up.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihgzawstSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪɡˈzɔst
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitiveliterallyfiguratively
To use up; to deplete, drain or expend wholly, or use until the supply comes to an end.
Use up the whole supply of
“We have exhausted the food supplies.”
transitive
To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely.
transitive
To tire out; to wear out; to cause to be without any energy.
Wear out completely
“This kind of work exhausts me.”
transitive
To empty by drawing or letting out the contents.
noun
System consisting of the parts of an engine through which burned gases or steam are discharged
The dirty air let out of a room through a register or pipe provided for the purpose.
The steam let out of a cylinder after it has done its work there.
An exhaust pipe, especially on a motor vehicle.
Exhaust gas.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (transitive, literally, figuratively) To use up; to deplete, drain or expend wholly, or use until the supply comes to an end.
Used this way, exhaust is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Wholeverb
“We have exhausted the food supplies.”
Wearverb
“This kind of work exhausts me.”
More ways to use exhaust
- “We have exhausted the food supplies.”verb
- “This kind of work exhausts me.”verb
- “Combustion products are exhausted in the engine.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Depleted of energy, force, or strength.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A pipe through which burned gases travel from the exhaust manifold to the muffler.
System consisting of the parts of an engine through which burned gases or steam are discharged.
A valve through which burned gases from a cylinder escape into the exhaust manifold.
Metal covering leading to a vent that exhausts smoke or fumes.
Gases ejected from an engine as waste products.
A manifold that receives exhaust gases from the cylinders and conducts them to the exhaust pipe.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
An emotional disorder that leaves you exhausted and unable to work.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.