a degree or state of coldness sufficient to cause the freezing of water.
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.
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.
the act or process of freezing.
coldness of manner or temperament: We noticed a definite frost in his greeting.
Informal. a coolness between persons.
Informal. something that meets with lack of enthusiasm, as a theatrical performance or party; failure; flop.
a milk shake, frappe, or similar drink: a chocolate frost.
verb (used with object)
to cover with frost.
to give a frostlike surface to (glass, metal, etc.).
to ice (a cake, cookies, etc.).
to bleach selected strands of (a person's hair) in order to create highlights.
to kill or injure by frost: a freezing rain that badly frosted the tomato plants.
to make angry: I was frosted by his critical comment.
verb (used without object)
to become covered with frost or freeze (often followed by up or over): The windshield has frosted over.
(of varnish, paint, etc.) to dry with a film resembling frost.
Idioms for frost
degree of frost, British. the degree of temperature Fahrenheit below the freezing point: 10 degrees of frost is equivalent to 22°F.
Origin of frost
before 900; Middle English, Old English frost, forst; cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German, Old Norse frost; akin to freeze
SYNONYMS FOR frost
5 aloofness, coolness, distance, remoteness.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR frost ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM frost
frostless,adjectivefrostlike,adjectiveun·frost,verb (used with object)
The top Brexit negotiators — for the EU, Michel Barnier, and for the UK, David Frost — said they would talk early next week, though Frost told Barnier not to come to London unless the EU has a new plan, according to the Guardian.
The EU and the UK still haven’t reached a post-Brexit agreement. What’s next?|Jen Kirby|October 16, 2020|Vox
The category is projected to be worth $50 billion by 2025, according to Frost and Sullivan, a marketing consulting firm.
Everything You Need to Know About Period Tracking|Christine Yu|September 6, 2020|Outside Online
And in five subsequent rides, Frost stayed on the bull twice more, and Red Rock threw him three times.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He could recite reams of Frost, Dickinson, Whitman, and Lowell, and he did so while I stood there, amazed.
GOP Hypocrisy: Outraged Over Benghazi, Silent on Iraq|Jay Parini|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Frost would just walk back and forth in front of the fireplace and talk and talk and talk.
Pete Dexter’s Indelible Portrait of Author Norman Maclean|Pete Dexter|March 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
FROST: We slept together the night before the wedding—non-sexually.
My London Getaway With Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Stars of ‘The World’s End’|Marlow Stern|November 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was my first time meeting Pegg and Frost, and they came off as two very down-to-earth, genuinely good guys.
My London Getaway With Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, Stars of ‘The World’s End’|Marlow Stern|November 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The crevices where racers hibernate are known to be several feet deep in some instances, extending well below the frost line.
Natural History of the Racer Coluber constrictor|Henry S. Fitch
He heard faintly the howling of the dogs, and had a fleeting thought that in the mastering of his flesh the frost no longer bit.
The Turtles of Tasman|Jack London
She was silent; and the silence of the two ladies appeared to acquire a frost.
The Pastor's Wife|Elizabeth von Arnim
And yet the ripening process is sometimes so slow that the frost of fear or the rot of regret spoils the fruit.
Analyzing Character|Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb
The universal veil, if present at all, is seen only on the margin of the pileus like frost or silky dew.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard
British Dictionary definitions for frost (1 of 2)
frost
/ (frɒst) /
noun
a white deposit of ice particles, esp one formed on objects out of doors at nightSee also hoarfrost
an atmospheric temperature of below freezing point, characterized by the production of this deposit
degrees below freezing point: eight degrees of frost indicates a temperature of either –8°C or 24°F
informalsomething given a cold reception; failure
informalcoolness of manner
the act of freezing
verb
to cover or be covered with frost
(tr)to give a frostlike appearance to (glass, etc), as by means of a fine-grained surface
(tr)mainlyUS and Canadianto decorate (cakes, etc) with icing or frosting
(tr)to kill or damage (crops, etc) with frost
Derived forms of frost
frostlike, adjective
Word Origin for frost
Old English frost; related to Old Norse, Old Saxon, Old High German frost; see freeze
British Dictionary definitions for frost (2 of 2)
Frost
/ (frɒst) /
noun
Sir David (Paradine). born 1939, British television presenter and executive, noted esp for political interviews
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)
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. See more at dew point.