melt
B1 (Intermediate)Neutral - common in everyday, literary, scientific, and technical contexts
Definition
Meaning
to change from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
to soften in feeling, become tender; to disappear or blend gradually; to be overwhelmed by emotion
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primary meaning is physical phase change. Figurative uses often imply emotional softening, gradual disappearance, or blending into surroundings.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning. 'Melt' as noun for a type of sandwich (tuna melt, etc.) is slightly more common in US menus. UK more likely to use 'thaw' for frozen food contexts.
Connotations
Both share same connotations. US might use 'meltdown' more frequently for emotional/financial contexts.
Frequency
Equal frequency in both varieties for verb forms.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Something melts (intransitive)Heat melts something (transitive)Melt something down (phrasal verb)Melt into something (prepositional)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “melt in your mouth”
- “melt into thin air”
- “melt someone's heart”
- “butter wouldn't melt in his/her mouth”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Market fears caused the company's share value to melt away.
Academic
The glacier continues to melt at an unprecedented rate.
Everyday
Could you melt some butter for the pancakes?
Technical
The furnace must reach 1084°C to melt pure copper.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The winter frost finally began to melt in March.
- Her criticism made him melt with embarrassment.
- We need to melt the old downcast for recycling.
American English
- The butter will melt if you leave it on the counter.
- His tough demeanor melted when he saw the puppy.
- They had to melt down the scrap metal in the furnace.
adverb
British English
- The chocolate spread meltily over the warm toast.
- The figures on the horizon seemed to vanish meltily into the haze.
American English
- The cheese pulled meltily from the pizza slice.
- The boundaries between the two styles blend meltily together.
adjective
British English
- The melt water from the glacier was crystal clear.
- She prefers a strong melt-resistant cheese for cooking.
American English
- The melt layer between the ice and snow caused slippery conditions.
- This is a special melt-proof coating for electronics.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The ice cube will melt in your drink.
- Chocolate can melt in the sun.
- My ice cream started to melt.
- The snow usually melts by April in this region.
- Add the grated cheese and let it melt slowly.
- Her smile made his anger melt away.
- The actor seemed to melt into the role perfectly.
- Early morning fog melted into daylight as we drove.
- Their savings melted away during the economic crisis.
- The politician's harsh rhetoric melted into conciliatory tones following the election.
- Cultural barriers began to melt beneath the shared experience.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of an ice cube turning into water - it MELts because it's getting MELting hot.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTION IS HEAT/LIQUID ('Her anger melted away', 'His stern expression melted'); DISAPPEARANCE IS MELTING ('The crowd melted into the night')
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing with 'плавить' (to smelt/melt industrially) for all contexts. Use 'таять' for natural melting (ice, snow). 'Melt' for emotions has no direct Russian equivalent - often translated as 'растаять' metaphorically.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: 'The sun melted the snow away.' (redundant) Correct: 'The sun melted the snow.' OR 'The snow melted away.'
- Incorrect: 'I melted the ice cream.' (implies deliberate heating) Correct: 'I let the ice cream soften/thaw.'
Practice
Quiz
Which use of 'melt' is primarily figurative?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Melt' generally implies a solid becoming liquid due to heat. 'Thaw' is specifically for frozen things becoming unfrozen (often naturally or gradually). 'Defrost' is usually a deliberate action to remove frost or ice, commonly with appliances.
Yes, figuratively. 'She melted into his arms' suggests yielding affectionately. 'He melted under the pressure' means he collapsed emotionally or gave in.
Regular. Past tense and past participle are both 'melted' (e.g., 'it melted', 'has melted'). The archaic form 'molten' survives only as an adjective for metals/lava ('molten iron').
It commonly describes a severe emotional collapse (a child's tantrum, adult overwhelmed by stress) or a sudden disastrous failure (financial market meltdown, computer system meltdown).