thaw
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to pass or change from a frozen to a liquid or semiliquid state; melt.
- Antonyms:
- freeze
-
to be freed from the physical effect of frost or extreme cold (sometimes followed byout ).
Sit by the fire and thaw out.
- Synonyms:
- warm
-
(of the weather) to become warm enough to melt ice and snow.
It will probably thaw today.
-
to become less formal, reserved, or aloof.
He thawed at their kindness.
-
to become less hostile or tense.
International relations thawed.
verb (used with object)
-
to cause to change from a frozen to a liquid or semiliquid state; melt.
-
to free from the physical effect of frost or extreme cold; bring to a more normal temperature, especially to room temperature.
I took the steaks out of the freezer and thawed them.
-
to make less cold, formal, or reserved.
- Synonyms:
- warm
-
to make less tense or hostile.
noun
-
the act or process of thawing.
-
the act or fact of becoming less formal, reserved, or aloof.
-
a reduction or easing in tension or hostility.
-
(in winter or in areas where freezing weather is the norm) weather warm enough to melt ice and snow.
-
a period of such weather.
We had a two-week thaw in January.
-
the thaw, the first day in the year when ice in harbors, rivers, etc., breaks up or loosens enough to begin flowing to the sea, allowing navigation.
The Anchorage thaw came on May 18th.
verb
-
to melt or cause to melt from a solid frozen state
the snow thawed
-
to become or cause to become unfrozen; defrost
-
(intr) to be the case that the ice or snow is melting
it's thawing fast
-
(intr) to become more sociable, relaxed, or friendly
noun
-
the act or process of thawing
-
a spell of relatively warm weather, causing snow or ice to melt
-
an increase in relaxation or friendliness
Related Words
See melt 1.
Other Word Forms
- rethaw verb
- thawer noun
- thawless adjective
- underthaw verb
- unthawed adjective
- unthawing adjective
Etymology
Origin of thaw
First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English thawen, Old English thawian; cognate with Dutch dooien, Old Norse theyja; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the verb
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.
Over time, this motion can widen the boundaries between grains, much like how cycles of freezing and thawing damage road surfaces.
From Science Daily
Grocery stores and restaurants had to close as food thawed.
The timing, location, and characteristics of the signals pointed to small, brittle events that happen seasonally as water freezes and thaws inside cracks in the rock.
From Science Daily
Searches from the air by helicopter and on the ground with a cadaver dog were unsuccessful, and it was feared the remains might not be recovered until the spring thaw.
From Los Angeles Times
Big picture: The jobs market has turned chilly after several years of rapid hiring and it’s unlikely to thaw out anytime soon.
From MarketWatch
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.
