thaw
verb (used without object)
to pass or change from a frozen to a liquid or semiliquid state; melt.
was thawing
-
past progressiveof thaw.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
As the announcement was underway, in the background a fire burned for a sixth day in a Boyle Heights warehouse, where 85 million pounds of frozen food was thawing and beginning to rot.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The lion, which had been euthanized a year earlier, then kept in a freezer, was thawing nearby.
From The New Yorker ● Jan. 8, 2017
Every single woman I talked to in downtown Washington on a hot, humid July afternoon was thawing out.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2015
Many saw the transaction as a sign that the sector was thawing out.
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2010
There wasn’t much left, and what was left was thawing.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
