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:
I’m standing in the produce aisle of my neighborhood supermarket, between the fresh vegetables receiving their bi-hourly overhead mist and a long refrigerated wall of salad kits.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
At the Zurbatiyah crossing, large fans sprayed mist to cool the heat as pilgrims passed portraits of Khamenei, his son and successor Mujtaba, and other slain commanders from Iran's so-called "axis of resistance."
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
"You get red mist when you see them trashing your years' work and this is all you've got. And they're just trashing it," says Lemon.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The whole film is hazy — literally — with plumes of mist rippling through soundstages so stripped of life they resemble the bones of a dream.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
We follow winding roads through ancient green groves, woodlands filled with secrets and murmurs and mist.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
“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
“Uncle Jack, I don’t know why you elect to disappear into the mist. Dr. Finch scratched his head and a tuft of gray hair stood up. “I’m sorry,” he said.
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
“We’re in for some mysterious trouble,” whispered Fiver, “and it’s not elil. It feels more like—like mist. Like being deceived and losing our way.”
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
“I watched it leave her body. It was like mist. It drifted away.”
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
She reaches for her portable fan which mists the air, as the air conditioning gets going.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
WSJ: In particular, how will you keep fragrance body mists top of mind among teenage girls beyond now selling mists and other goods in more than 1,000 campus bookstores?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
The victories won by gladiatrixes like Achillia, meanwhile, are all but lost to the mists of ages.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2025
That’s in part thanks to companies riding a wave of greater interest and offering more formulations and types of packaging, such as body mists and travel sizes, that are often cheaper.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025
Not far now they knew that the gates of Isengard must stand, and their hearts were heavy; but their eyes could not pierce the mists ahead.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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
Settled in a working-class Los Angeles neighborhood, invalid parent and rebellious child clash: Anne “never so much as misted an eye when Louisa could see,” Choi writes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 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
Raya Martin’s charming teen comedy is a candy-coated blast from the Philippines’ past — a movie decked out in period references and misted with ’90s nostalgia.
From New York Times ● May 5, 2023
Moonlight misted from the window like winter breath.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
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
The Rajasekhar family raised their arms in front of the giant misting machine opposite the Colosseum in Rome.
From Barron's ● Jun. 30, 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
Six days a week, Mr. Sawan, 55, a father of five, tows batches of fruit that weigh 1,500 pounds to a nearby processing plant, often as planes buzz overhead, misting down pesticides.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2023
Her eyes misting, she touched my face with her wizened hand.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
