Basic+ Word of the Day: melt

melt (verb) past tense: melted

Melt means ‘to cause to become liquid by heat.’

• Put the ice cream in the freezer so it doesn't melt.
• The warm weather melted the snow.
• The butter melted on the toast.

Melt also means ‘to cause to become less or nothing.’

• When Doreen went on a diet, the pounds just melted away.
• The cost of the medicine melted away the family's savings.

Melt can also mean ‘to become softened in feeling.’

• Josh's heart melted when Julia came into the room.

Common uses

tuna melt: an open-face sandwich (one piece of bread) made of tuna salad with melted cheese on top. Example: “I’d like a tuna melt and a cup of tomato soup, please.”

Related words

Literally, a meltdown is the melting of the core of a nuclear reactor. Example: “It is important to have enough coolant for the nuclear reactor to avoid a meltdown.” But a meltdown can also be a sudden breakdown, a loss of mental or physical health. Example: “The two-year-old missed his nap and had a meltdown at 4:00PM.”

In pop culture

Listen to Chet Faker sing “Melt.” Does his voice make you melt?

There are other meanings of melt.