frost
1 Americannoun
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a degree or state of coldness sufficient to cause the freezing of water.
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Also called hoarfrost. a covering of minute ice needles, formed from the atmosphere at night upon the ground and exposed objects when they have cooled by radiation below the dew point, and when the dew point is below the freezing point.
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an opaque coating of tiny, white, granular ice particles, formed on the walls or contents of a freezer by the condensation of water vapor; rime.
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the act or process of freezing.
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coldness of manner or temperament.
We noticed a definite frost in his greeting.
- Synonyms:
- reserve, distance, indifference, aloofness
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Informal. a coolness between persons.
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Informal. something that meets with lack of enthusiasm, as a theatrical performance or party; failure; flop.
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a milkshake, frappe, or similar drink.
a chocolate frost.
verb (used with object)
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to cover with frost.
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to give a frostlike surface to (glass, metal, etc.).
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to ice (a cake, cookies, etc.).
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to bleach selected strands of (a person's hair) in order to create highlights.
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to kill or injure by frost.
a freezing rain that badly frosted the tomato plants.
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to make angry.
I was frosted by his critical comment.
verb (used without object)
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to become covered with frost (often followed by up orover ).
The windshield has frosted over.
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(of varnish, paint, etc.) to dry with a film resembling frost.
idioms
noun
noun
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Sir David ( Paradine ). born 1939, British television presenter and executive, noted esp for political interviews
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Robert ( Lee ). 1874–1963, US poet, noted for his lyrical verse on country life in New England. His books include A Boy's Will (1913), North of Boston (1914), and New Hampshire (1923)
noun
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a white deposit of ice particles, esp one formed on objects out of doors at night See also hoarfrost
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an atmospheric temperature of below freezing point, characterized by the production of this deposit
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degrees below freezing point: eight degrees of frost indicates a temperature of either –8°C or 24°F
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informal something given a cold reception; failure
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informal coolness of manner
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the act of freezing
verb
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to cover or be covered with frost
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(tr) to give a frostlike appearance to (glass, etc), as by means of a fine-grained surface
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(tr) to decorate (cakes, etc) with icing or frosting
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(tr) to kill or damage (crops, etc) with frost
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A deposit of tiny, white ice crystals on a surface. Frost forms through sublimation, when water vapor in the air condenses at a temperature below freezing. It gets its white color from tiny air bubbles trapped in the ice crystals.
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See more at dew point
Other Word Forms
- frostless adjective
- frostlike adjective
- unfrost verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of frost
First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English frost, forst; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Norse frost; akin to freeze
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Chicago, spinach goes into the ground in staggered rows, insurance against frost.
From Salon
On a recent winter night, frost sparkled in the air like cold confetti and a warm glow spilled from the small windows of a tavern in the one-stoplight village of Sergeantsville, N.J.
This means we are seeing less snow and fewer frosts - in fact we now get around four weeks less ground frost than we did half a century ago.
From BBC
Her hair was the color of sycamore leaves after the first frost.
From Literature
One morning, when the first frost appeared, Hadel asked me to help her with a chore.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
