exhausted; exhausting; exhausts
1
a
: to consume entirely : use up
exhausted our funds in a week
b
: to tire extremely or completely
exhausted by overwork
c
: to deprive of a valuable quality or constituent
exhaust a soil of fertility
2
a
: to draw off or let out completely
b
: to empty by drawing off the contents
specifically
: to create a vacuum in
3
a
: to consider or discuss (a subject) thoroughly or completely
b
: to try out the whole number of
exhausted all the possibilities
1
a
: the escape of used gas or vapor from an engine
b
: the gas or vapor thus escaping
2
a
: the conduit through which used gases escape
b
: an arrangement for removing fumes, dusts, or odors from an enclosure
3
Synonyms
Examples of exhaust in a Sentence
Verb
If they keep spending this way, they'll exhaust their savings.
He can talk about baseball for hours and still feel that he hasn't exhausted the subject.
Noun
diesel exhaust from passing trucks
There's a problem with the car's exhaust.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
After exhausting its glucose reservoir, the body starts getting energy from fat.
—Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Chef José Andrés Wants to Feed the World Through the Pandemic
The latest report assembled by leading international and local aid groups, known as Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, calculates that half of Gaza’s population of 2.2 million have exhausted their food supply and face famine.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The orcas assaulted the pair for at least an hour, eventually killing the younger whale while exhausting the mother.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Beyond expectations to produce content quickly, Black women are also exhausted by the attack on DEI, something that deeply impacts Black female journalists.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Transfer big man Parker Braun and guard Nick Timberlake have exhausted their eligibility.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024
After exhausting a lot of her options, Nics made one final stop at Danielle Frankel’s atelier.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Electric vehicles have far fewer parts than gasoline cars — no radiators, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, fan belts or complicated gearboxes.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The interior was outfitted with mushroom leather, and the body was painted midnight blue, with L.E.D. lights in the now ornamental exhaust pipes.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Common sources of the carcinogen in indoor and outdoor air include building materials, furniture, garages (thanks to car exhaust), heating and cooking systems, and cigarette smoking.
—Jessica Chia, SELF, 12 Mar. 2024
The pungent black smoke from his exhaust pipe gave him headaches.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
Pre-injections prime the cylinder to increase combustion rates, which translates to cleaner exhaust.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The exhaust system also offers selectable modes: quiet, normal, sport and Baja.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
Verb
The only Mountain West player in the game for seniors who have exhausted their eligibility finished with 16 points on 6 of 8 shooting to go with four assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Apr. 2024
After exhausting its glucose reservoir, the body starts getting energy from fat.
—Lauren Weber, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Chef José Andrés Wants to Feed the World Through the Pandemic
The latest report assembled by leading international and local aid groups, known as Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, calculates that half of Gaza’s population of 2.2 million have exhausted their food supply and face famine.
—Karl Vick, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The orcas assaulted the pair for at least an hour, eventually killing the younger whale while exhausting the mother.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Beyond expectations to produce content quickly, Black women are also exhausted by the attack on DEI, something that deeply impacts Black female journalists.
—Maya Richard-Craven, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
Transfer big man Parker Braun and guard Nick Timberlake have exhausted their eligibility.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Mar. 2024
After exhausting a lot of her options, Nics made one final stop at Danielle Frankel’s atelier.
—Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024
The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted.
—Lea Skene, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Noun
The short clip is a quick teaser but does include a glimpse of its silhouette and a preview of its exhaust note.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 11 Apr. 2024
Electric vehicles have far fewer parts than gasoline cars — no radiators, exhaust pipes, fuel tanks, fan belts or complicated gearboxes.
—Jack Ewing, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The interior was outfitted with mushroom leather, and the body was painted midnight blue, with L.E.D. lights in the now ornamental exhaust pipes.
—Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Common sources of the carcinogen in indoor and outdoor air include building materials, furniture, garages (thanks to car exhaust), heating and cooking systems, and cigarette smoking.
—Jessica Chia, SELF, 12 Mar. 2024
The pungent black smoke from his exhaust pipe gave him headaches.
—Lenny Rashid Ruvaga, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024
Pre-injections prime the cylinder to increase combustion rates, which translates to cleaner exhaust.
—Michael Van Runkle, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
The exhaust system also offers selectable modes: quiet, normal, sport and Baja.
—Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024
Dong tried a number of fixes, including deep cleaning the kitchen hoods and exhaust system, installing charcoal filters, and even cooking meat at his other locations and driving it to the Northeast Portland restaurant, according to the city’s records.
—Emi Tuyetnhi Tran, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exhaust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Latin exhaustus, past participle of exhaurire, from ex- + haurire to draw; akin to Middle High German œsen to empty, Greek auein to take
First Known Use
Verb
1531, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1848, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing exhaust
Dictionary Entries Near exhaust
Cite this Entry
“Exhaust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exhaust. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
exhaust
1 of 2 verb
ex·haust
ig-ˈzȯst 
1
2
a
: to draw off or let out completely
exhaust the air from the jar
b
: to empty by drawing something from
3
: to try out all of
they exhausted all possibilities
exhaust
2 of 2 noun1
: the gas that escapes from an engine
2
: a system of pipes through which exhaust escapes
Medical Definition
exhaust
transitive verb
ex·haust
ig-ˈzȯst
1
a
: to draw off or let out completely
b
: to empty by drawing off the contents
specifically
: to create a vacuum in
2
a
: to use up : consume completely
b
: to tire extremely or completely
exhausted by overwork
3
: to extract completely with a solvent
exhaust a drug with alcohol
Legal Definition
exhaust
transitive verb
ex·haust
: to use up or consume entirely: as
a
: to try all of (available remedies)
the applicant has exhausted the remedies available in the courts of the State—U.S. Code
U.S. Code
b
: to bring (a claim) through all available prior levels of review
each of his claims would now be exhausted—W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
More from Merriam-Webster on exhaust
Nglish: Translation of exhaust for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of exhaust for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about exhaust
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