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:
Two women witness the strange murder of a neighbor and begin to believe that something could be lurking in the mist that’s enveloped the Earth.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
It remains a major incident due to the scale of the fire and "challenging conditions" on the mountain, including low cloud, mist and rain.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 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
“That mist is cooling, especially if you’re close to it and you feel the moisture on your skin,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
There was a gray mist among the trees, but I had a glimpse of my leader.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
“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
“I watched it leave her body. It was like mist. It drifted away.”
From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry
“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
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
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
Night comes, out of the craters rise the mists.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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
He watched me holding her and his eyes misted with happiness.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
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
Now and then sprays of rain flew over and misted our faces.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Lineage must operate an odor-neutralizing misting system around the warehouse and any openings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
You can buy fans that come with a misting device, she adds.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 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 cooling stations with misting fans and wet towels.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 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
Tired of waiting, she walked through the misting pillars.
From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury
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.
