melt Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
    melting; thaw; thawing.
    • the power failure caused a refrigerator melt that was a disaster
    • the thawing of a frozen turkey takes several hours
  2. verb reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
    melt down; run.
    • melt butter
    • melt down gold
    • The wax melted in the sun
  3. verb become or cause to become soft or liquid
    thaw; unthaw; unfreeze; dethaw; dissolve.
    • The sun melted the ice
    • the ice thawed
    • the ice cream melted
    • The heat melted the wax
    • The giant iceberg dissolved over the years during the global warming phase
    • dethaw the meat
  4. verb become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial
    mellow; mellow out.
    • With age, he mellowed
  5. verb lose its distinct outline or shape; blend gradually
    meld.
    • Hundreds of actors were melting into the scene
  6. verb become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
    fade.
    • The scene begins to fade
    • The tree trunks are melting into the forest at dusk
  7. verb become less intense and fade away gradually
    evaporate; disappear.
    • her resistance melted under his charm
    • her hopes evaporated after years of waiting for her fiance

WordNet

Melt noun
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) See 2d Milt.
Melt transitive verb
Etymology
AS. meltan; akin to Gr. , E. malt, and prob. to E. smelt, v. . Cf. Smelt, v., Malt, Milt the spleen.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Melted (obsolete ) past participle Molten ; present participle & verbal noun Melting
Definitions
  1. To reduce from a solid to a liquid state, as by heat; to liquefy; as, to mell wax, tallow, or lead; to melt ice or snow.
  2. Hence: To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
    Thou would'st have . . . melted down thy youth. Shak.
    For pity melts the mind to love. Dryden.
    Syn. -- To liquefy; fuse; thaw; mollify; soften.
Melt intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be changed from a solid to a liquid state under the influence of heat; as, butter and wax melt at moderate temperatures.
  2. To dissolve; as, sugar melts in the mouth.
  3. Hence: To be softened; to become tender, mild, or gentle; also, to be weakened or subdued, as by fear.
    My soul melteth for heaviness. Ps. cxix. 28.
    Melting with tenderness and kind compassion. Shak.
  4. To lose distinct form or outline; to blend.
    The soft, green, rounded hills, with their flowing outlines, overlapping and melting into each other. J. C. Shairp.
  5. To disappear by being dispersed or dissipated; as, the fog melts away. Shak.

Webster 1913