thaw

[ thaw ]

/ θɔ /

verb (used without object)

to pass or change from a frozen to a liquid or semiliquid state; melt.

to be freed from the physical effect of frost or extreme cold (sometimes followed by out): Sit by the fire and thaw out.

(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.

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.

Origin of thaw

before 1000; (v.) Middle English thawen, Old English thawian; cognate with Dutch dooien, Old Norse theyja; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR thaw

1 See melt¹.

2, 8 warm.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR thaw ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR thaw

1 freeze.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR thaw ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM thaw

thaw·less, adjective re·thaw, verb un·der·thaw, verb un·thawed, adjective

un·thaw·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH thaw

evanesce evaporate liquefy melt thaw transpire vaporize evanescence evaporation liquefaction melting thawing transpiration vaporization

Words nearby thaw

thaumatology, thaumatrope, thaumaturge, thaumaturgic, thaumaturgy, thaw, thaxter, thayer, thaïs, thb, thc

Example sentences from the Web for thaw

After a half-century of frigid relations, the U.S. and Cuba have agreed to a thaw as the result of 18 months of secret talks.

Up To Speed: The Cuba Embargo |Nina Strochlic |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The thaw between Washington and Cuba finally begins to close a chapter of the Cold War.

Did The U.S.-Cuba Deal Help Drive A Rebel Ceasefire in Colombia? |Richard McColl |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The issue can be complicated by a thaw followed by a freeze, or by pre-existing ice.

As de Blasio Loses Roker, Call In the Weather Detective |Michael Daly |February 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And so the election arrives with no thaw in relations between the Yingluck and Suthep camps.

Thai Election Not Likely To Resolve Protests |Lennox Samuels |February 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

But despite these private signals and messages, the relationship may not be ready for a thaw.

Raul Castro Reaches Out to Obama, But Don’t Call It a Thaw |Eli Lake, Josh Rogin |December 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
There was first a thaw, then a freeze, then a snow fall which 111preserved everything.

Whispering Wires |Henry Leverage
The thaw had begun when she walked home from the Broadwood farm one afternoon.

Harding of Allenwood |Harold Bindloss
I am in the worst inn that ever was seen, and outside is a thaw that places the whole country under water.

The Letters of Charles Dickens |Charles Dickens
If possible, there should be a good fire in the kitchen, to which these attendants on our pleasure could be admitted to thaw out.

The Art of Entertaining |M. E. W. Sherwood
The thaw took place so rapidly, that the river was free before any one could have noted the progress of its deliverance.

Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. |Xavier Hommaire de Hell

British Dictionary definitions for thaw

thaw

/ (θɔː) /

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

Derived forms of thaw

thawer, noun thawless, adjective

Word Origin for thaw

Old English thawian; related to Old High German douwen to thaw, Old Norse theyja to thaw, Latin tabēre to waste away

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

thaw

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of thaw

SYNONYMS FOR thaw

ANTONYMS FOR thaw

OTHER WORDS FROM thaw

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH thaw

Words nearby thaw

Example sentences from the Web for thaw

British Dictionary definitions for thaw

verb

noun

Derived forms of thaw

Word Origin for thaw

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

thaw

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

Origin of thaw

SYNONYMS FOR thaw

ANTONYMS FOR thaw

OTHER WORDS FROM thaw

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH thaw

Words nearby thaw

Words related to thaw

Example sentences from the Web for thaw

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for thaw

verb

noun

Derived forms of thaw

Word Origin for thaw

British Dictionary definitions for thaw