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Glite Dictionary
to thaw out

to thaw out

4 2.3
To become not frozen by getting warm
  • phrasal verb
  • /θɔː aʊt/
translation icon : descongelar
  • To enjoy the soup, you should thaw out the frozen container in the fridge overnight.
  • thaw out the ice

They're going to maybe even die until that soil thaws out.

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Examples

  • Use your refrigerator to thaw out food.

    Blog text (11)

  • I need to thaw out the chicken before I can cook it.

  • Into the kitchen, son, and thaw out some ice.

    The Thin Man (1934)

  • I thawed out some raspberries.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • So let's go ahead and thaw out the second batch of algae.

    Stowaway (2021)

  • The florist had to thaw out our newly planted tulips with a hair dryer.

    Father of the Bride (1991)

  • Your client explains to you that some of the freezers that held frozen turkeys had broken down, causing some of the frozen turkeys to thaw out.

    Academic text (2008)

  • If you leave the ice cream on the counter, it will thaw out and become too soft.

Synonyms

to thaw
vsto thaw out
65 1.1

To become soft and melt after being frozen or make something melt

is the phrasal form that often emphasizes warming
to defrost
vsto thaw out
20 1.7

Make ice melt or remove ice from something

focuses on becoming unfrozen by warmth rather than just removing surface ice
to unfreeze
vsto thaw out
2 3.5

Make something that is frozen become soft or liquid

applies more generally beyond food and similar substances
to dethaw
vsto thaw out
  • US
6.6

To make something frozen become soft or liquid by warming

stresses warming as the method rather than unspecified change
to unthaw
vsto thaw out
  • Informal
7.2

To make something frozen melt by warming it

is the standard or neutral term rather than the nonstandard form

Antonyms

to freeze
770 1.0

Become solid because of cold, like water turning to ice

How Melted

to melt
362 1.0
to thaw out
4 2.3

Surface Forms

thaw out infinitive
thawed out past
thawed out past participle
thawing out present participle
thaws out third person singular

Morphology

thaw + out

The meaning 'to become unfrozen / make something unfrozen' is directly derivable from 'thaw' (to melt) plus the particle 'out', which here signals movement to an unfrozen/outward state or completion. This is a regular verb+particle compositional pattern in English, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Thaw out comes from the simple image of something frozen warming until the ice melts. When heat reaches frozen food, the ice inside melts and the thing thaws — thaw plus out suggests the warming is complete, so it 'becomes unfrozen' and ready to use.