thaw

Pronunciation: /θɔː/

Translate thaw | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish

Definition of thaw

verb

[no object]

(of ice, snow, or another frozen substance, such as food) become liquid or soft as a result of warming up:the river thawed and barges of food began to reach the capital (as noun thawing)catastrophic summer floods caused by thawing
(it thaws, it is thawing, etc.) the weather becomes warmer and causes snow and ice to melt.
[with object] make (something) warm enough to become liquid or soft:European exporters simply thawed their beef before unloading
(of a part of the body) become warm enough to stop feeling numb:Riven began to feel his ears and toes thaw out
make or become friendlier or more cordial: [no object]:she thawed out sufficiently to allow a smile to appear

noun

a period of warmer weather that thaws ice and snow:the thaw came yesterday afternoon
an increase in friendliness or cordiality:a thaw in relations between the USA and the USSR

Origin:

Old English thawian (verb), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch dooien. The noun (first recorded in Middle English) developed its figurative use in the mid 19th century

thaw in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of thaw in the US English dictionary

Subscriber login

Library card login

Other

thaw

verb

noun

Origin:

thaw in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

More results for thaw

Word of the day

offing