THAW
| Pronunciation (US): |   |
Dictionary entry overview: What does thaw mean?
• THAW (noun)
The noun THAW has 3 senses:
1. the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
2. warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt
3. a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile
Familiarity information: THAW used as a noun is uncommon.
• THAW (verb)
The verb THAW has 1 sense:
1. become or cause to become soft or liquid
Familiarity information: THAW used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• THAW (noun)
Meaning:
The process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Synonyms:
thawing; thaw; melting; melt
Context examples:
the power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster / the thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours
Hypernyms ("thaw" is a kind of...):
heating; warming (the process of becoming warmer; a rising temperature)
phase change; phase transition; physical change; state change (a change from one state (solid or liquid or gas) to another without a change in chemical composition)
Meaning:
Warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Synonyms:
thaw; thawing; warming
Context example:
they welcomed the spring thaw
Hypernyms ("thaw" is a kind of...):
atmospheric condition; weather; weather condition (the meteorological conditions: temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation)
Meaning:
A relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural events
Context example:
the thaw between the United States and Russia has led to increased cooperation in world affairs
Hypernyms ("thaw" is a kind of...):
loosening; relaxation; slackening (an occurrence of control or strength weakening)
• THAW (verb)
Meaning:
Become or cause to become soft or liquid
Classified under:
Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.
Synonyms:
dethaw; thaw; unfreeze; unthaw; melt; dissolve
Context examples:
The sun melted the ice / the ice thawed / the ice cream melted / The heat melted the wax / The giant iceberg dissolved over the years during the global warming phase / dethaw the meat
Hypernyms (to "thaw" is one way to...):
flux; liquefy; liquify (become liquid or fluid when heated)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "thaw"):
deliquesce (melt or become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air)
de-ice; defrost; deice (make or become free of frost or ice)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Sentence example:
The chefs thaw the vegetables
