mist
noun
a cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.
mist
1 American
[mist]
/ mɪst /
noun
-
mists
plural
-
a cloudlike aggregation of minute globules of water suspended in the atmosphere at or near the earth's surface, reducing visibility to a lesser degree than fog.
-
a cloud of particles resembling this.
She sprayed a mist of perfume onto her handkerchief.
-
something that dims, obscures, or blurs.
the mist of ignorance.
-
a haze before the eyes that dims the vision.
a mist of tears.
-
a suspension of a liquid in a gas.
-
a drink of liquor served over cracked ice.
-
a fine spray produced by a vaporizer to add moisture to the air for breathing.
verb (used without object)
-
mists,
present (3rd person singular)
-
misted,
past participle, past
-
misting
present participle
-
to become misty.
-
to rain in very fine drops; drizzle (usually used impersonally with it as subject).
It was misting when they went out for lunch.
verb (used with object)
-
mists,
present (3rd person singular)
-
misted,
past participle, past
-
misting
present participle
-
to make misty.
-
to spray (plants) with a finely diffused jet of water, as a means of replacing lost moisture.
mist.
2
American
abbreviation
mist
British
/ mɪst /
noun
-
a thin fog resulting from condensation in the air near the earth's surface
-
meteorol such an atmospheric condition with a horizontal visibility of 1–2 kilometres
-
a fine spray of any liquid, such as that produced by an aerosol container
-
chem a colloidal suspension of a liquid in a gas
-
condensed water vapour on a surface that blurs the surface
-
something that causes haziness or lack of clarity, such as a film of tears
verb
mist
Scientific
/ mĭst /
-
A mass of fine droplets of water in the atmosphere near or in contact with the Earth. Mist reduces visibility to not less than 1 km (0.62 mi).
-
Compare fog
Usage
What else does mist mean? Content warning: this article references illicit drugs. A mist is, literally speaking, a cloud of fine liquid droplets, but in slang it can variously refer to drugs and the experience of being on them. Mist can also be an alternative spelling or misspelling of missed.
Synonym Usage
See cloud.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
mistsimple
-
mistssimple
-
have mistedperfect
-
has mistedperfect
-
am mistingprogressive
-
are mistingprogressive
-
is mistingprogressive
-
have been mistingperfect progressive
-
has been mistingperfect progressive
Past
-
mistedsimple
-
had mistedperfect
-
was mistingprogressive
-
were mistingprogressive
-
had been mistingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of mist1
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English, Old English; cognate with Dutch, Low German, Swedish mist; akin to Greek omíchlē “fog,” Russian mgla “mist,” Sanskrit megha “cloud”; (verb) Middle English misten, Old English mistian, derivative of the noun
Origin of mist.2
From the Latin word mistūra
Explanation
Mist is a very dense water vapor, almost as thick as fog. Light rain can sometimes form a mist that makes it hard to see the road when you're driving. The mist you see in the air on a damp spring morning is similar to the mist you spray when you water your plants — it's made up of tiny water droplets. As a verb, mist means "to cover with mist," so you might mist your dry plants or watch your windows mist up in the rain. Mist can also refer to a general dimness or cloudiness: "She watched through the mist of her tears."
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:
With help from Berkeley undergraduates, Vazquez traveled throughout the region, setting up mist nets over streams, ponds and rivers at night.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
The local Shizuoka government and official mountain guides posted video clips and photos from the mountain Thursday morning, showing access roads and gravel trails covered with dense mist and rain.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Use a spray bottle, for example, to mist water directly onto a person’s face, neck and forearms, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Sunday may start dry and bright for many, perhaps with some mist and fog patches in central and northern areas of the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Cornelius emerged from the dissipating mist and puffed out his throat.
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
“Administrators reeled, choking on its noxious reek, as it tore their offices asunder. Cut slips, tardy slips, suspension notices, bad conduct notices, report cards--all were swept away in its churning mist. It was...the RED TIDE.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
The hot air escaping from the chamber caused the flame to flicker, but presently details of the room within emerged from the mist. x Can you see anything q?”
From New York Times ● Nov. 20, 2010
“He got a message to me—he sent it on a breath of mist. He is gaining in his power.”
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
“This woman, she is in a swirling mist. She is fading in and out, hovering between life and death. I see her grasping, begging—she doesn’t want to leave us. Wait!”
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
“I watched it leave her body. It was like mist. It drifted away.”
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
In the Colosseum, cooling fans with mists have been set up in the entrances.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
But amid the ocean mists and old-growth forests, things don’t go as planned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
Fair stands up from her chair, shakes the bottle and mists it over her head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 25, 2025
The victories won by gladiatrixes like Achillia, meanwhile, are all but lost to the mists of ages.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
Colour and scent and sound, rain and the lapping of water, even the mists of autumn and the smell of the flood tide, these are memories of Manderley that will not be denied.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Diane Kostka planted a sign at each checkpoint for her husband and son and misted them with a spray bottle.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2025
That means not throwing them straight into the produce drawer, and instead storing them in a misted, sealed bag.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 23, 2024
As the mood darkens, even this underwhelmed critic misted up at the sight of the two men quietly holding each other in bed.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
Like other houseplants, a tree will appreciate being misted, though be careful about mixing water with strings of electric lights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
“I get to stand here by myself and be misted on.”
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
It remains unclear when all the meat will be removed, but the company is taking steps to mitigate the odor by wrapping most of the building in a temporary material and using misting systems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
New York has designated hundreds of public buildings as cooling centers, extended public swimming pool hours, dispatched volunteers to check on vulnerable residents, and opened "pop up" cooling stations with misting fans and wet towels.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
To avoid overwatering you can place the pot inside a water container every day before moving it back to its original spot, or gently misting with a spray.
From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026
Other restoration efforts include the implementation of an anti-fire misting system beneath the cathedral’s roof and the recreation of the original cross.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
It was misting and he took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.
From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman
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.
