exhaust: Meaning and Definition of

ex•haust

Pronunciation: (ig-zôst'), [key]
— v.t.
  1. to drain of strength or energy, wear out, or fatigue greatly, as a person: I have exhausted myself working.
  2. to use up or consume completely; expend the whole of: He exhausted a fortune in stock-market speculation.
  3. to draw out all that is essential in (a subject, topic, etc.); treat or study thoroughly.
  4. to empty by drawing out the contents: to exhaust a tank of fuel oil.
  5. to create a vacuum in.
  6. to draw out or drain off completely.
  7. to deprive wholly of useful or essential properties, possessions, resources, etc.
  8. to deprive of ingredients by the use of solvents, as a drug.
  9. to destroy the fertility of (soil), as by intensive cultivation.
—v.i.
  1. to pass out or escape, as spent steam from the cylinder of an engine.
—n.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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