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:
The yield on the 10-year Treasury touched a fresh 24-year high, as a global bond rout and AI-investing boom ripple through markets in tandem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
It has left them “unwilling to re-establish fresh shorts,” and in turn encouraged fresh buyers, he wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
Freeman said the Braves have done a good job keeping the Dodgers hitters off-balance by emptying their bullpen, sending in a fresh pitcher every couple of innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
But it certainly adds a fresh twist to a season of fluctuating fortunes at the front, in which the only real constant has been Kimi Antonelli, as the championship heads into its final stretch.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
I’d strip my bed, putting fresh sheets and blankets on it, then make up a narrow “private room” for myself.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
She has also suggested growing fruit and vegetables at hospital sites as one possible way of providing fresher food.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Furthermore, the chain will expand its beverage selection, introducing fresher coffee beans, new espresso machines and dairy alternatives.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
‘Any fresher and they’d answer that question themselves.”
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
From 20-course omakase tasting menus to snug sushi bars, here’s where to find the best and freshest sushi in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
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 I was feeling fine. Maybe not the freshest, like at the beginning of the tournament, but I was physically all right," Djokovic said.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Every summer, we celebrate tomatoes in their freshest form: sliced onto sandwiches, layered into caprese salads, piled onto toast.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
Time and again, these analyses yield the same results: the freshest dung balls and the most recent camel bones date to the period when humans flooded America, that is, between approximately 12,000 and 9000 BC.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
