What does "mist" mean?
Water or other liquid finely suspended in air. (Compare fog, haze.)
Mist
/mɪst/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Water or other liquid finely suspended in air. (Compare fog, haze.)
- Grammar: mist is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: addle, addle the wits, adumbrate, aerosol.
- Useful contrasts: certainty, clarify, clarity.
- Usage evidence: In the distance you can see Mt. Fuji through the morning mist.
How to use "mist"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mist" 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 "mist" 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 "mist" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mist" 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 "mist" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "addle" 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 "mist", 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 Water or other liquid finely suspended in air. (Compare fog, haze.) countable, uncountable
"It was difficult to see through the morning mist."
- 2 a thin fog with condensation near the ground wordnet
- 3 A layer of fine droplets or particles. countable
"There was an oily mist on the lens."
- 4 Anything that dims, darkens, or hinders vision. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"His passion cast a mist before his sense."
Verb
- 1 To form mist. intransitive
"It's misting this morning."
- 2 past of miss form-of, obsolete, past
"you shall be mist at Court"
- 3 Alternative form of MST (to mock a work by inserting annotations) alt-of, alternative
- 4 become covered with mist wordnet
- 5 To spray fine droplets on, particularly of water. transitive
"I mist my tropical plants every morning."
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 spray finely or cover with mist wordnet
- 7 To rain in very fine droplets. intransitive
"... it's misting outside. When it mists outside it's half fog and half rain."
- 8 make less visible or unclear wordnet
- 9 To cover with a mist. transitive
"The lens was misted."
- 10 To be covered by tears. transitive
"My eyes misted when I remembered what had happened."
- 11 To disperse into a mist, accompanying operation of equipment at high speeds.
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Example
"In the distance you can see Mt. Fuji through the morning mist."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mist"?
Common synonyms include: addle, addle the wits, adumbrate, aerosol, aerosols, air.
How do you use "mist" in a sentence?
In the distance you can see Mt. Fuji through the morning mist.
How do you pronounce "mist"?
Pronounced /mɪst/.
Etymology
The noun is from Middle English mist, from Old English mist (“mist; darkness; dimness (of eyesight)”), from Proto-Germanic *mihstaz (“mist, fog”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃migʰstos, from the root *h₃meygʰ- (“cloud, fog, drizzle”). Cognate with Scots mist (“mist, fog”), West Frisian mist (“mist”), Dutch mist (“mist”), Swedish mist (“mist, fog”), Icelandic mistur (“mist”), West Frisian miegelje (“to drizzle”), Dutch dialectal miggelen, miegelen (“to drizzle”), Lithuanian miglà (“fog”), Sanskrit मेघ (megha, “cloud”), Russian мгла (mgla, “fog, haze”). The verb is from Middle English misten, from Old English mistian.