Thaw
/θɔː/
Definitions
3 meaningsTo change from a frozen solid to a liquid or less solid state by warming up.
/θɔː/
To melt or become liquid after being frozen.
The frozen pipes will thaw once the weather warms up.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have an ice cream cone. If you leave it outside on a warm day, it will THAW, meaning it will start to melt and get soft. Thaw means to become liquid after being frozen!
👶 For kids: When something that's frozen, like ice, gets warm and turns into water, that's called a thaw!
More Examples
The chef let the steak thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
After the snowstorm, the sun helped the sidewalks thaw.
How It's Used
"The ice on the lake began to thaw in the spring."
"The weather forecast predicted a thaw after the blizzard."
A period of warmer weather, often following a period of freezing, that causes ice and snow to melt.
/θɔː/
A period of warm weather that causes ice and snow to melt.
The thaw finally arrived after weeks of freezing temperatures.
💡 Simply: When it's been cold and icy, and then the sun comes out and melts all the ice and snow, that warm-up time is called a THAW. It's like a warm vacation for everything frozen!
👶 For kids: A thaw is when the weather gets warm, and ice and snow start to melt.
More Examples
The river was swollen due to the thaw.
We're hoping for a thaw soon so we can go outside.
How It's Used
"We're expecting a thaw this weekend after the cold snap."
"The thaw brought flooding to some low-lying areas."
To become friendlier or more relaxed, often after a period of coldness or hostility.
/θɔː/
To become more friendly, less reserved, or more receptive.
Their icy relationship began to thaw after they found common ground.
💡 Simply: Sometimes people or situations are cold, like ice. But if something happens, things might THAW, meaning they become friendlier or easier. Like after a long argument, you might THAW with your friend and start talking normally.
👶 For kids: When people or feelings that were cold or not friendly start to become warm and friendly, that's a thaw!
More Examples
The public's distrust of the politician began to thaw as he became more transparent.
The awkward silence finally thawed when someone told a joke.
How It's Used
"The tense relationship between the two countries began to thaw after the summit."
"After years of therapy, she began to thaw emotionally."
From Old English *þawian*, meaning 'to melt, become liquid'. Related to the Proto-Germanic *þawōjaną.
The word 'thaw' has been used since Old English times to describe the process of melting.
Memory tip
Think of 'thaw' as the opposite of 'freeze'. The heat makes things unfreeze.
Word Origin
"to melt, become liquid"