What does "frost" mean?
A cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air. Frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing.
Frost
/fɹɒst/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air. Frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing.
- Grammar: frost is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: freeze, icing, apply glaze, benumb.
- Useful contrasts: unfrosted, bare cake, defrost.
- Usage evidence: The apple-blossom was touched by the frost.
How to use "frost"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "frost" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "frost" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "frost" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "frost" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "frost" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "freeze" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "frost", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air. Frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing. countable, uncountable
- 2 weather cold enough to cause freezing wordnet
- 3 The cold weather that causes these ice crystals to form. countable, uncountable
"Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes."
- 4 the formation of frost or ice on a surface wordnet
- 5 Coldness or insensibility; severity or rigidity of character. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"It was one of those moments of intense feeling when the frost of the Scottish people melts like a snow-wreath."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside) wordnet
- 7 The act of freezing; the congelation of water or other liquid. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 A shade of white, like that of frost. countable, uncountable
- 9 A disappointment; a cheat. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
- 10 A kind of light diffuser. countable, uncountable
"Frosts and diffusion are flame retardant and produce similar results except that some of the frosts are very subtle in their effects. For example: Hamburg Frost will soften the beam edge with little additional spread of the beam."
Verb
- 1 To cover with frost. transitive
- 2 damage by frost wordnet
- 3 To become covered with frost. intransitive
"“The weather is pleasant while it frosted a little at night.”"
- 4 cover with frost wordnet
- 5 To coat (something, e.g. a cake) with icing to resemble frost. transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 provide with a rough or speckled surface or appearance wordnet
- 7 To anger or annoy. informal, transitive
"I think the boss's decision frosted him a bit."
- 8 decorate with frosting wordnet
- 9 To sharpen (the points of a horse's shoe) to prevent it from slipping on ice. transitive
- 10 To bleach individual strands of hair while leaving adjacent strands untouched. transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
"A video filmed and shared on the social media site Bluesky by Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost, also a Democrat, shows Hairfield outside the building and several officers from the federal Department of Homeland Security behind the doors, labeled “All Access Entrance.”"
- 2 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. countable, uncountable
- 3 A number of places in the United States:; A township in Clare County, Michigan. countable, uncountable
- 4 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Faribault County, Minnesota. countable, uncountable
- 5 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Athens County, Ohio. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A number of places in the United States:; A minor city in Navarro County, Texas. countable, uncountable
- 7 A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. countable, uncountable
Antonyms
Example
"The apple-blossom was touched by the frost."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "frost"?
Common synonyms include: freeze, icing, apply glaze, benumb, besnow, bite.
How do you use "frost" in a sentence?
The apple-blossom was touched by the frost.
How do you pronounce "frost"?
Pronounced /fɹɒst/.
Etymology
From Middle English frost, from an unmetathesized variant of Old English forst (“frost”), from Proto-Germanic *frustaz (“frost”), from Proto-Indo-European *prews- (“to freeze; frost”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Froast, Fröäst (“frost”), West Frisian froast (“frost”), Cimbrian bròst, vrost, vròst (“frost”), Dutch vorst (“frost”), German Frost (“frost”), Luxembourgish Frascht (“frost”), Vilamovian fröst (“frost”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish frost (“frost”), Latin pruīna (“hoarfrost, frost, rime, snow”). Related to freeze.