MEANING
To become unfrozen or make something frozen soften or melt as it warms.
Use it for
Spring breakup, loosening frost, and changes from frozen to wet.Make temperature change visible in the terrain.
Words that belong together
- ground begins to thaw
- thawing snow
- thaw completely
On the page
The top layer of soil thawed by afternoon.
Snow thawing on the branches dripped into the stream.
A warm wind began to thaw the frozen ruts.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- thaw / thaws
- Past tense
- thawed
- Past participle
- thawed
- Present participle
- thawing
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- thaw / thaws
- Present continuous
- am/is/are thawing
- Present perfect
- have/has thawed
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been thawing
- Past
- thawed
- Past continuous
- was/were thawing
- Past perfect
- had thawed
- Past perfect continuous
- had been thawing
- Future
- will thaw / thaws
- Future continuous
- will be thawing
- Future perfect
- will have thawed
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been thawing
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: environment. Snow and ice melt during a thaw; frozen ground can thaw without becoming liquid. Also a noun for a warming spell. Verb [base, third-person, past, past participle, -ing]: thaw, thaws, thawed, thawed, thawing.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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