thawed; thawing; thaws
1
a
: to go from a frozen to a liquid state : melt
b
: to become free of the effect (such as stiffness, numbness, or hardness) of cold as a result of exposure to warmth
2
: to be warm enough to melt ice and snow
—used with it in reference to the weather
3
: to abandon aloofness, reserve, or hostility : unbend
4
: to become mobile, active, or susceptible to change
: to cause to thaw
1
: the action, fact, or process of thawing
2
: a period of weather warm enough to thaw ice
the January thaw
3
: the action or process of becoming less aloof, less hostile, or more genial
a thaw in international relations
Synonyms
Examples of thaw in a Sentence
Verb
Plant the seeds in early spring as soon as the ground thaws.
The sun will soon thaw the snow and ice.
The weather is beginning to thaw.
Our cold fingers and toes eventually thawed.
She held the coffee cup tightly, trying to thaw her frozen fingers.
Noun
flooding from the spring thaw
a thaw in international relations
Recent Examples on the Web
Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
It’s designed as a warm womb, a place to thaw after dog sledding, snowmobiling, glacier hiking, and polar bear spotting.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
There’s no need to thaw—just take a cube or two, depending on the size of the dish, and add it to a pan of hot oil.
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
Health inspectors observed raw shrimp, raw beef and quail eggs being stored at improper holding temperatures and beef being thawed under a hand sink.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
However, the name actually comes from Native American tribes, and refers to beetle larvae that emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts, The Old Farmer's Almanac says.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Just in time for spring, however, prices are beginning to thaw.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024
But a severe temperature drop and early snowfall in November preceded a sudden temperature rise, which caused that snow to thaw, according to the UN.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
One morning in late February, fish was thawing in a walk-in refrigerator the size of a small bedroom on deck 3, two decks below the galley.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Simone McCarthy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The move — which follows a decision last week by the country’s top court to uphold the ban against her, as well as the jailing of some of her aides — would come as a surprise to many analysts following the thaw in relations, who had seen reversing the sanctions to be a severe response.
—Eric Martin, Bloomberg.com, 29 Jan. 2024
Generally, the top layer of this permafrost thaws out in the heat of summer, then freezes again in the winter.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
Thanks to the city’s premature end to street-sweeping season and a recent snowfall and polar vortex followed by a quick thaw, most curbs are filled with mounds of wet leaves and sticks, combined with mud and dog feces.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024
The town of about 2,400 is home to Canada’s first gambling hall, museums and other colorful buildings — many of them tilting ominously as the permafrost thaws under their foundations.
—Fiona McGlynn, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
In San Francisco, a summit that signaled a thaw in relations with China ended with President Biden undiplomatically calling China's president a dictator.
—ABC News, 19 Nov. 2023
Although the housing market traditionally thaws every spring, aspiring homebuyers may want to consider an extended hibernation given what is an exceptionally tough market this year.
—Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
Researchers have found that as the freeze and thaw of the Arctic landscape has changed over the past 25 years, the hardy Arctic ground squirrel’s hibernation patterns are adapting.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
Verb
It can be used right out of the freezer or after just a few minutes of thawing on the counter.
—Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
It’s designed as a warm womb, a place to thaw after dog sledding, snowmobiling, glacier hiking, and polar bear spotting.
—Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2024
There’s no need to thaw—just take a cube or two, depending on the size of the dish, and add it to a pan of hot oil.
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
Health inspectors observed raw shrimp, raw beef and quail eggs being stored at improper holding temperatures and beef being thawed under a hand sink.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 3 Apr. 2024
However, the name actually comes from Native American tribes, and refers to beetle larvae that emerge from the thawing bark of trees and other winter hideouts, The Old Farmer's Almanac says.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024
Just in time for spring, however, prices are beginning to thaw.
—CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024
But a severe temperature drop and early snowfall in November preceded a sudden temperature rise, which caused that snow to thaw, according to the UN.
—Helen Regan, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
One morning in late February, fish was thawing in a walk-in refrigerator the size of a small bedroom on deck 3, two decks below the galley.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024
Noun
Their removal comes amid a thaw in China-Australia relations that’s seen Chinese authorities steadily roll back a number of those barriers including on barley, timber, and coal.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
The move — which follows a decision last week by the country’s top court to uphold the ban against her, as well as the jailing of some of her aides — would come as a surprise to many analysts following the thaw in relations, who had seen reversing the sanctions to be a severe response.
—Eric Martin, Bloomberg.com, 29 Jan. 2024
Generally, the top layer of this permafrost thaws out in the heat of summer, then freezes again in the winter.
—Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024
Thanks to the city’s premature end to street-sweeping season and a recent snowfall and polar vortex followed by a quick thaw, most curbs are filled with mounds of wet leaves and sticks, combined with mud and dog feces.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024
The town of about 2,400 is home to Canada’s first gambling hall, museums and other colorful buildings — many of them tilting ominously as the permafrost thaws under their foundations.
—Fiona McGlynn, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2024
In San Francisco, a summit that signaled a thaw in relations with China ended with President Biden undiplomatically calling China's president a dictator.
—ABC News, 19 Nov. 2023
Although the housing market traditionally thaws every spring, aspiring homebuyers may want to consider an extended hibernation given what is an exceptionally tough market this year.
—Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024
Researchers have found that as the freeze and thaw of the Arctic landscape has changed over the past 25 years, the hardy Arctic ground squirrel’s hibernation patterns are adapting.
—Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thaw.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Thaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thaw. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
thaw
1 of 2 verb1
: to melt or cause to melt
ice on the pond is thawing
2
: to become free of the effects of cold temperatures by being exposed to warmth
frozen foods thawed before cooking
thaw
2 of 2 noun1
: the action, fact, or process of thawing
2
: a period of weather warm enough to thaw ice and snow
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