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.
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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
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(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
Synonym Usage
See melt 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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thawsimple
-
thawssimple
-
have thawedperfect
-
has thawedperfect
-
am thawingprogressive
-
are thawingprogressive
-
is thawingprogressive
-
have been thawingperfect progressive
-
has been thawingperfect progressive
Past
-
thawedsimple
-
had thawedperfect
-
was thawingprogressive
-
were thawingprogressive
-
had been thawingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
When things thaw, they're coming out of deep freeze and warming up. You can thaw a chicken, and a chilly friendship can thaw too. Anything that thaws is warming up after a frigid or chilly period. The weather thaws when spring hits, especially after a bad winter. When you take food out of the freezer, it thaws. When you have an unpleasant relationship with someone, that can thaw too. A warm, friendly gesture from one person to another can be a sign that their cold relationship is thawing. When you think of thawing, think "Warming up."
Vocabulary lists containing thaw
The Vernal Vocabulary of Spring
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The Egypt Game
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Schooled
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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.
After Johnson read her sister’s book and saw more of her point of view, a thaw started.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
The researchers say future climate assessments should look beyond biologically driven carbon emissions alone and account for geological sources and sinks that emerge as frozen landscapes continue to thaw.
From Science Daily • Jun. 20, 2026
Firefighters were eventually forced to melt it down after fans attempted to thaw the sculpture with blowtorches and chip away at it with sledgehammers.
From BBC • May 15, 2026
The country has been shut out of global markets since 2017, and it will seek a reorganization as relations with the U.S. thaw.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
It looked as if a spring thaw had come to the Alps.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
