thaw
verb/θɔː/
/θɔː/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they thaw | /θɔː/ /θɔː/ |
| he / she / it thaws | /θɔːz/ /θɔːz/ |
| past simple thawed | /θɔːd/ /θɔːd/ |
| past participle thawed | /θɔːd/ /θɔːd/ |
| -ing form thawing | /ˈθɔːɪŋ/ /ˈθɔːɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] thaw (out) (of ice and snow) to turn back into water after being frozen synonym melt
- The country was slowly thawing out after the long cold winter.
Extra Examples- The snow started to thaw as the temperature kept up.
- If a pipe (= the water in a pipe) has frozen, it can be thawed out with a hairdryer.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- rapidly
- …
- [intransitive] when it thaws or is thawing, the weather becomes warm enough to melt snow and ice
- It's starting to thaw.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- rapidly
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] thaw (something) (out) to become, or to let frozen food become, soft or liquid ready for cooking compare defrost, de-ice, unfreeze
- Leave the meat to thaw completely before cooking.
Extra Examples- I'll take a quiche out of the freezer and thaw it out in the microwave.
- If frozen food has thawed out it should never be refrozen.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- rapidly
- …
- [intransitive, transitive] thaw (something) (out) to become, or make something become, a normal temperature after being very cold
- I could feel my ears and toes start to thaw out.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- rapidly
- …
- [intransitive] thaw (out) to become more friendly and less formal
- Relations between the two countries thawed a little after the talks.
- The atmosphere slowly began to thaw.
- The old nun was as imperious as ever, but visibly thawed when she saw the children.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- completely
- partially
- rapidly
- …
Word OriginOld 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 cent.
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thaw