dew

noun \ ˈdü also ˈdyü \

Definition of dew

1 meteorology :moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies especially at night

wet with morning dew

2 :something resembling dew in purity, freshness, or power to refresh

… the golden dew of sleep …
—William Shakespeare

3 :moisture especially when appearing in minute droplets: such as

a :tears

b :sweat

c botany :droplets of water produced by a plant in transpiration

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dew

transitive verb

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dewless

play \-ləs\ adjective

See dew defined for English-language learners

See dew defined for kids

Examples of dew in a Sentence

The grass was wet with the morning dew.

Recent Examples of dew from the Web

The computation is extremely complicated and calculators have been developed using inputs of temperature and relative humidity or dew point.

— tom skilling, chicagotribune.com, "Ask Tom: How do you determine the heat index?," 19 July 2017
The air temperature combined with dew points in the 70s will send the heat index up to 105 degrees or higher, which means heat advisories could be possible for parts of the state, according to the weather service.

— leigh morgan, AL.com, "Hottest temperatures of the summer coming up for parts of Alabama," 19 July 2017
They're formed when ice crystals floating in the water and freeze to the ice surface in the same way frost or dew forms on foggy mornings.

— john d. sutter, CNN, "That huge iceberg should freak you out. Here's why," 14 July 2017
Humidity levels are moderate as dew points hover within a few degrees of 60.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "D.C.-area forecast: Hot weather dominates through the Fourth, storm chances slight," 3 July 2017
Night crawlers or dew worms, for instance, normally surface from their burrows in the ground at night to mate.

— joanna klein, New York Times, "Partying Under the Midsummer Arctic Sun, Unless You’re a Worm," 3 July 2017
The humidity in Boise hit a near high as well on Monday, peaking at a dew point of 67 degrees Fahrenheit, which the NWS reported as the second-highest in the last 100 years.

— katy moeller and ruth brown, idahostatesman, "Thunderstorms bring winds up to 60 mph, wildfires due to lightning," 26 June 2017
The humidity is very uncomfortable today, with dew points up near 70 and actual temperatures into the 80s this afternoon.

— fox ct weather team, courant.com, "Hot And Humid For Father's Day," 18 June 2017
On the south side of the line, dew points are low and so is thunderstorm potential, Cooper said.

— The Denver Post, "Tornado watch in Weld and four other counties as storm pummels northeast Colorado," 12 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dew.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

This is a deposit of water droplets formed at night by the condensation of water vapor from the air onto the surfaces of exposed objects. Dew forms on clear nights, when exposed surfaces lose heat by radiation and are thus usually colder than the air. The cold surface cools the air in its vicinity, and, if the air is humid enough, it may cool below its dew point, the temperature at which water vapor condenses out of the air onto the surface.