unthaw

verb

un·​thaw ˌən-ˈthȯ How to pronounce unthaw (audio)
unthawed; unthawing

transitive + intransitive

: thaw
A fuel station operator apparently caused the 5:30 a.m. blast by using an open flame to unthaw a frozen tank valve …Associated Press
Escape the winter freeze and unthaw in beautiful tropical settings …Business Wire

Note: Although unthaw as a synonym of thaw is sometimes cited as an illogical error, it has persisted in occasional use for more than four centuries. It occurs in both American and British English.

Examples of unthaw in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Homeowners can try to run hot water into their sinks in hopes of warming a frozen sewage line, but should otherwise call a professional to help carefully unthaw the lines. Zaz Hollander, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Jan. 2022 The Texas Republican backlash to Biden has already begun, with Cruz’s comments and a lawsuit by Attorney General Ken Paxton to unthaw the Homeland Security Department’s freeze of deportations of immigrants in the country without authorization. Gromer Jeffers Jr., Dallas News, 25 Jan. 2021 Sergei Fyodorov, a researcher at North-Eastern Federal University, tells the AP that climate change is affecting the Siberian permafrost, meaning people are finding more and more ancient creatures unthawing. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 3 Dec. 2019 Forget about unthawing chicken, boiling noodles or throwing in a pizza June 6. Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4 June 2018 The super-soldier serum allowed him to stay alive, and SHIELD unthaws him. Sonia Rao, chicagotribune.com, 24 Apr. 2018 Normally, there's about a 75% survival rate when unthawing frozen embryos. Susan Scutti, CNN, 19 Dec. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unthaw was in 1598

Dictionary Entries Near unthaw

Cite this Entry

“Unthaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unthaw. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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