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# defrost

verb (defrost, defrosts, defrosted, defrosting)

«defrost» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To let frozen food become unfrozen before cooking or eating: «Defrost the chicken in the fridge». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#m1)
2. To remove ice from a freezer, fridge or car windscreen: «We need to defrost the freezer». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#m2)
3. To become unfrozen: «The peas will defrost in an hour». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#m3)

### In the lessons

In cooking and food-safety lessons, frozen meat should be defrosted in the fridge or microwave, not left on the counter, and not refrozen once thawed, to stop harmful bacteria growing. In winter, drivers defrost their windscreens before driving. In science, defrosting shows melting: ice changing from solid to liquid as it warms. Phrases: «defrost in the fridge», «defrost setting», «defrost the windscreen».

### Examples

- Mum took the fish out of the freezer to defrost. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x1)
- Always defrost meat in the fridge, not on the worktop. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x2)
- Dad turned the car heater on to defrost the windscreen. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x3)
- We had to defrost the old freezer because it was full of ice. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x4)
- Use the defrost setting on the microwave. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x5)
- Leave the bread to defrost for an hour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/#x6)

### Note

Similar: thaw. US also «unthaw» (informal and illogical, but used). In science, defrosting is melting, a reversible change. Food safety rule: cook defrosted meat soon and do not refreeze it raw.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «defrost» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/defrost/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«defrost» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/defrost.html) on Mova free.