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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Vacuum Definition, Examples, and Common Uses (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：vacuum cleaner (vacuum)

vacuum 🔊

/ˈvæk.juːm/

A machine that cleans floors and carpets by sucking up dust and dirt.

vacuum cleaner 🔊

➕

/ˈvæk.juːm ˈkliː.nər/

A household appliance that uses suction to clean floors and carpets by drawing in dust and dirt.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'vacuum' (empty space), from 'vacuus' (empty).

💡 Mnemonic

Vacuum sounds like 'vacate room' — imagine clearing all matter from a space.

📖 Example

I spent my Saturday morning pushing the vacuum around the living room to clean up the pet hair. 🔊 I spent my Saturday morning pushing the vacuum around the living room to clean up the pet hair.

🔗 Collocations

vacuum the carpet – to clean the carpet with a vacuum cleaner

vacuum cleaner bag – a bag that collects dust inside the vacuum cleaner

handheld vacuum – a small, portable vacuum cleaner

🔄 Synonyms

hoover (n.) – a brand of vacuum cleaner often used as a generic term for any vacuum cleaner (chiefly British)

sweeper (n.) – a device or person that sweeps, can refer to a vacuum-like tool

cleaner (n.) – a device or substance used for cleaning, though less specific

🌱 Derivatives

vacuum-packed (adj.) – packaged in a vacuum to preserve freshness

vacuuming (n.) – the act of cleaning with a vacuum cleaner

vacuumize (v.) – to create a vacuum in

📖 Cultural Story

From Latin 'vacuus' (empty). In the 17th century, Otto von Guericke's vacuum pump gave the word its modern scientific meaning. Later, the household vacuum cleaner adopted the same principle.

Meaning 2：empty space devoid of matter (vacuum)

vacuum 🔊

/ˈvæk.juːm/

A space that has no air or any other matter inside it; completely empty.

Glass bell jar with feather suspended in vacuum space

empty space devoid of matter 🔊

➕

/ˈɛmpti speɪs dɪˈvɔɪd əv ˈmætər/

A region in space that contains no matter, including air, gas, or other particles; a perfect emptiness.

📁 Category：Space Exploration 🔖 Level：Advanced

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

Outer space is not a perfect vacuum, but it has extremely low pressure and very few particles. 🔊 Outer space is not a perfect vacuum, but it has extremely low pressure and very few particles.

🔗 Collocations

vacuum chamber – a sealed container from which air and other gases are removed to create a vacuum

vacuum pump – a device that removes gas molecules from a sealed volume to create a vacuum

perfect vacuum – a theoretical vacuum with absolutely no particles

🔄 Synonyms

void (n.) – a completely empty space

emptiness (n.) – the state of being empty

nothingness (n.) – the absence of anything

🚫 Antonyms

plenum (n.) – a space completely filled with matter

atmosphere (n.) – the envelope of gases surrounding the earth

matter (n.) – physical substance

🌱 Derivatives

evacuate (v.) – to remove air or gas from (a container) to create a vacuum

vacuous (adj.) – devoid of intelligence or meaning (related conceptually)

vacuum-sealed (adj.) – sealed under vacuum to exclude air