-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
vapor pressure
noun
: the pressure exerted by a vapor that is in equilibrium with its solid or liquid form
called also vapor tension
Examples of vapor pressure in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As the temperature increases in a linear way, vapor pressure deficit—essentially, the thirstiness of the atmosphere—increases exponentially, pulling an increasing amount of water from trees, other plants, and soil.
—WIRED, 18 Nov. 2023
Scientists call this phenomenon the vapor pressure deficit.
—Jane Braxton Little, Scientific American, 23 Aug. 2023
As the average and extreme maximum temperatures increase, vapor pressure deficit — essentially the thirstiness of the atmosphere — rises exponentially.
—Jim Robbins Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The researchers found that changes in global mean temperature are positively linked with changes in the Western North American vapor pressure deficit, a measure of how effectively the air can dry out plants and vegetation that ultimately become fuel for wildfires, Dahl said.
—Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2023
But eventually environmental scientists observed that ethanol actually contributed to air pollution by increasing gasoline’s Reid vapor pressure, which caused the gasoline to evaporate more rapidly at the pump and create more ground level ozone than if the gasoline contained no ethanol at all.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 6 Dec. 2022
Intense, record-breaking heat waves like the ones that encompassed the West during August and early September likely caused major crisping of burnable material, as the regional vapor pressure deficit and associated drought climbed to record levels.
—Alejandra Borunda, National Geographic, 17 Sep. 2020
The fire department determined that the property had high levels of volatile organic compounds, which have high vapor pressure and low water solubility, and can be found in common household products.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2023
The entry borehole closes behind the descending probe as vapor pressure builds above.
—Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'vapor pressure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1865, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near vapor pressure
Cite this Entry
“Vapor pressure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vapor%20pressure. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share