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to defrost

to defrost

20 1.7
Make ice melt or remove ice from something
  • verb
  • /dɪˈfrɔst/
translation icon : descongelar
  • I need to defrost the chicken before I can start cooking dinner.
  • defrost the turkey
  • defrosted chicken
  • defrost food

And basically they just have to defrost it and give it a final toasting.

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Examples

  • When you take food out of the freezer to defrost it, run it under cold water.

    Blog text (15)
  • If you get a frozen turkey, you will need to defrost it in the refrigerator for several days.

    Blog text (28)
  • We decided to defrost the fridge.

  • It's freezing outside so I'm trying to defrost my car right now.

  • Defrost two bags of breast milk in the microwave for three minutes.

  • What is the safest way to defrost meat, poultry, and fish products?

    Academic text (2003)
  • Leave in a colander over a bowl and allow to defrost completely, draining off all liquid.

    Blog text (7)
  • One microwave oven was used for defrosting prepared barbecued pork for sandwiches.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Rosemary, I got a two-inch thick sirloin steak defrosting now.

  • Add the rest of the grated Parmesan, the nutmeg, and the defrosted spinach.

    Blog text (2)

Synonyms

to thaw
vsto defrost
65 1.1

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

often refers to warming not specifically removing surface frost
to thaw out
vsto defrost
4 2.3

To become not frozen by getting warm

is used for gradual warming rather than quick surface clearing
to unfreeze
vsto defrost
2 3.5

Make something that is frozen become soft or liquid

emphasizes melting fully rather than scraping off surface ice
to deice
vsto defrost
1 6.7

To remove ice from something, for example a car or plane

is the same idea but often written with a hyphen in older texts
to de-ice
vsto defrost
4.3

To remove ice from a car or plane

is the same action but is typically hyphenated
to dethaw
vsto defrost
  • US
6.6

To make something frozen become soft or liquid by warming

focuses on liquefying rather than just removing surface frost

Antonyms

770 1.0

Become solid because of cold, like water turning to ice

How Thawed

to melt
362 1.0
to defrost
20 1.7
to warm
488 1.0

Surface Forms

defrost infinitive
defrosted past
defrosted past participle
defrosting present participle
defrosts third person singular

Morphology

defrost = frost (transparent) = de + frost

The prefix 'de-' clearly means removal, so 'defrost' straightforwardly means to remove frost from something or cause it to become free of frost.

Etymology

The word defrost comes from the prefix de- meaning 'remove' and frost meaning 'ice on a surface'. So, to defrost something is to take the ice away or let it become free of ice, like clearing a frozen windshield before driving.