What does "thaw" mean?
The melting of ice, snow, or other frozen or congealed matter; the transformation of ice or the like into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat of anything congealed by frost
Thaw
/θɔː/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The melting of ice, snow, or other frozen or congealed matter; the transformation of ice or the like into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat of anything congealed by frost
- Grammar: thaw is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: melt, melting, approachment, bend.
- Useful contrasts: dutch ijs, frosted, frozen.
- Usage evidence: This river sometimes overflows after the thaw.
How to use "thaw"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "thaw" 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 "thaw" 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 "thaw" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "thaw" 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 "thaw" 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 "melt" 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 "thaw", 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 The melting of ice, snow, or other frozen or congealed matter; the transformation of ice or the like into the state of a fluid; liquefaction by heat of anything congealed by frost
- 2 a relaxation or slackening of tensions or reserve; becoming less hostile wordnet
- 3 a period of weather warm enough to melt that which is frozen
"raging floods pursue their hasty thaw; / Our thaw was mild , the cold not chased away"
- 4 warm weather following a freeze; snow and ice melt wordnet
- 5 A period of relaxation, of reduced reserve, tension, or hostility or of increased friendliness or understanding. figuratively
Show 1 more definition
- 6 the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid wordnet
Verb
- 1 To gradually melt, dissolve, or become fluid; to soften from frozen. intransitive
"the ice thaws"
- 2 become or cause to become soft or liquid wordnet
- 3 To become sufficiently warm to melt ice and snow, said in reference to the weather. impersonal, intransitive
"It's beginning to thaw."
- 4 To grow gentle or genial. figuratively, intransitive
"Her anger has thawed."
- 5 To gradually cause frozen things (such as earth, snow, ice) to melt, soften, or dissolve. transitive
"Mor. Miſlike me not for my complexion, / The ſhadowed liuerie of the burniſht ſunne, / To whom I am a neighbour,and neere bred. / Bring me the faireſt creature North-ward borne, / Where Phœbus fire ſcarce thawes the yſicles, / And let vs make inciſion for your loue, / To proue whoſe blood is reddeſt,his or mine."
Proper Noun
- 1 A river in South Wales which flows into the Bristol Channel at Aberthaw.
- 2 A surname from Burmese.
Example
"This river sometimes overflows after the thaw."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "thaw"?
Common synonyms include: melt, melting, approachment, bend, colliquate, cut.
How do you use "thaw" in a sentence?
This river sometimes overflows after the thaw.
How do you pronounce "thaw"?
Pronounced /θɔː/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English thowen, thawen, from Old English þawian, *þāwan (“to thaw”), from Proto-West Germanic *þauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *þawjaną (“to thaw”), from Proto-Indo-European *teh₂- (“to melt”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian daie, dauje (“to thaw”), West Frisian teie (“to thaw”), Dutch dooien (“to thaw”), German Low German deien (“to thaw”), German tauen (“to thaw”), Swedish töa (“to thaw”), Icelandic þeyja (“to thaw”).
Etymology 2
Anglicized from Welsh Ddawan, ddaw.
Etymology 3
Borrowed from Burmese သော် (sau). It is also an English and Scottish surname, but without a certain origin.