I. thaw 1 /θɔː $ θɒː/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: thawian ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] ( also thaw out ) if ice or snow thaws, or if the sun thaws it, it turns into water OPP freeze :
The lake thawed in March.
2 . it thaws if it thaws, the weather becomes warmer, so that ice and snow melt:
It thawed overnight.
3 . [intransitive and transitive] ( also thaw out ) to let frozen food become warmer until it is ready to cook OPP freeze :
Thaw frozen meat in its packet and then cook as soon as possible.
4 . [intransitive] to become friendlier and less formal:
After a few glasses of wine Robert began to thaw a little.
thaw out phrasal verb
if your body thaws out, or if you thaw it out, it gets warmer until it is a normal temperature again
thaw something ↔ out
He held his hands in front of the fire to thaw them out.
II. thaw 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . [singular] a period of warm weather during which snow and ice melt:
The thaw begins in March.
2 . [countable] an improvement in relations between two countries, after a period of unfriendliness