fresh
Americanadjective
-
fresher,
comparative
-
freshest
superlative
-
newly made or obtained.
fresh footprints.
- Antonyms:
- old
-
recently arrived; just come.
fresh from school.
-
new; not previously known, met with, etc.; novel.
to uncover fresh facts;
to seek fresh experiences.
-
additional or further.
fresh supplies.
-
not salty, as water.
-
retaining the original properties unimpaired; not stale or spoiled.
Is the milk still fresh?
-
not preserved by freezing, canning, pickling, salting, drying, etc..
fresh vegetables.
-
not tired or fatigued; brisk; vigorous.
She was still fresh after that long walk.
-
not faded, worn, obliterated, etc.: a fresh appearance.
fresh paint;
a fresh appearance.
-
looking youthful and healthy.
a fresh beauty that we all admired.
-
pure, cool, or refreshing, as air.
- Synonyms:
- unadulterated, sweet, invigorating
-
denoting a young wine, especially a white or rosé, that is clean, crisp, and uncomplicated.
-
Meteorology. (of wind) moderately strong or brisk.
-
Two hundred fresh recruits arrived at the training camp.
- Antonyms:
- skilled, experienced
-
Informal. forward or presumptuous.
-
(of a cow) having recently given birth to a calf.
-
Slang.
noun
-
the fresh part or time.
-
a freshet.
verb (used with or without object)
adverb
adjective
-
not stale or deteriorated; newly made, harvested, etc
fresh bread
fresh strawberries
-
newly acquired, created, found, etc
fresh publications
-
novel; original
a fresh outlook
-
latest; most recent
fresh developments
-
further; additional; more
fresh supplies
-
not canned, frozen, or otherwise preserved
fresh fruit
-
(of water) not salt
-
bright or clear
a fresh morning
-
chilly or invigorating
a fresh breeze
-
not tired; alert; refreshed
-
not worn or faded
fresh colours
-
having a healthy or ruddy appearance
-
newly or just arrived; straight
fresh from the presses
-
youthful or inexperienced
-
designating a female farm animal, esp a cow, that has recently given birth
-
informal presumptuous or disrespectful; forward
-
dialect partially intoxicated; tipsy
noun
-
the fresh part or time of something
-
another name for freshet
verb
adverb
-
in a fresh manner; freshly
-
informal having just run out of supplies of
Usage
What is a basic definition of fresh? Fresh is an adjective that describes something as new or recently made, as being not spoiled or not preserved, or as being energized or not tired. Fresh has many other senses as an adjective and a few as a noun and a verb. If something is fresh, it has not existed for very long or is so new that it has never been used or seen before.
- Real-life examples: Kids like to play in fresh snow that is still soft and not frozen. A fresh pen has never been used before. When people want to try something different, they need fresh ideas.
- Used in a sentence: I grabbed a piece of paper that was fresh out of the pack.
- Used in a sentence: That gross, smelly fish clearly isn’t fresh.
- Used in a sentence: The tired players sat on the bench and fresh substitutes took their place.
Synonym Usage
See new.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of fresh
First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English fersc; cognate with Old Frisian fersk, Old High German frisc ( German frisch ), Old Norse ferskr
Explanation
Fresh describes things that are new or energetic, like fresh bread from the oven and fresh music from a recording artist. Moldy bread and grandpa's polkas? Not so fresh. There are many uses for the adjective fresh, from being flirty to being well-rested. Ripe foods taste fresh compared to freezer-burned varieties, and fresh ideas are exciting and new. Fresh water is without the bitterness of salt water. Modern and different are also synonyms of fresh, while stale and tired are opposites.
Vocabulary lists containing fresh
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We expect inflation excluding fresh food and energy to rise further towards 2.5 percent by early next year," said Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
China agreed to allow fresh American blueberry imports in 2020, but expanding domestic production and tariffs have shut U.S. farmers out of the market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Together, the studies create a major new resource for researchers and provide fresh opportunities to investigate how changes in genome organization contribute to development, aging, and disease, including neurodegenerative disorders.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026
Ideally they should come fresh from your garden, eaten with just enough dirt still clinging to them to imply virtue.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
The women picked up their straw pallets from the floor and piled them in a corner, raising a fresh storm of dust which started me coughing helplessly again.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The day will get off to a fresher start with some spots in the single figures.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Starting next week, the Surge is going to look different: sleeker and fresher but still phenomenally trenchant.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
Getting rid of aged inventory made room for fresher designs, such as sandals, and helped the company sell more items at full price.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
It ushered in a new kind of fun that was fresher, busier and airier than past listservs and chatrooms, the dank basements of internet interaction.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
What he needed was a younger, fresher mind to assist him.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The company said the changes were part of an effort to provide “the freshest, highest-quality food possible.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Here’s how one of L.A.’s freshest new restaurants makes grains, greens and veggies sing — and how home cooks can replicate its grain bowls and salads.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
I decide to start paying more attention, so I know when food is at its freshest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Asked about the decision to drop Belgium midfielder Raskin pre-match, the Rangers boss said wanted to play the "freshest" and "most attacking" team available to him.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2025
The morning sun turned it into a pane of green, brighter even than the freshest limes in Abuelito’s store.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
