mist

1 of 2

noun

ˈmist 

1

: water in the form of particles floating or falling in the atmosphere at or near the surface of the earth and approaching the form of rain

2

: something that obscures understanding

mists of antiquity

3

: a film before the eyes

4

a

: a cloud of small particles or objects suggestive of a mist

b

: a suspension of a finely divided liquid in a gas

c

: a fine spray

5

: a drink of liquor served over cracked ice

mist

2 of 2

verb

misted; misting; mists

intransitive verb

1

: to be or become misty

—usually used with up

My glasses mist up.

2

: to become moist or blurred

—usually used with up or over

eyes misting over

3

: to rain very lightly

transitive verb

: to cover or spray with or convert to mist

a misted valley

misting plants

Synonyms of mist

Noun

• rainfall
• sprinkle
• drizzle
• precipitation

Verb

• obscure
• blur
• darken
• fog
• cloud
• haze

Examples of mist in a Sentence

Noun

We could barely see the shore through the mist.

The hills were veiled in a fine mist.

an issue clouded by mists of confusion

Verb

The plant should be misted regularly.

It was misting when we arrived.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bedford noted that there was mist and fog at LaGuardia at the time of the crash, which came 34 years to the day since the last fatal incident at LaGuardia Airport. —Jessica Gorman, ABC News, 23 Mar. 2026

Its viral body mists are packed with essential oils that linger on the skin and cling to clothing for days, as seen with best-seller Sticky Dates. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 23 Mar. 2026

Verb

Aerosol sprays apply deodorant through an aerosol can and are misted under your arms. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2026

True, Shakespeare had added the characters of Touchstone and Jacques, thus mocking the sport of love and misting it in disillusionment; but most of the plot is pure Lodge. —Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Middle Dutch mist mist, Greek omichlē

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing mist

• love-in-a-mist
• mist net

Rhymes for mist

• cist
• cyst
• fist
• gist
• grist
• hissed
• kissed
• kist
• list
• missed
• schist
• tryst

Kids Definition

mist

1 of 2 noun

ˈmist 

1

: water in the form of particles floating in the air or falling as fine rain

2

: something that keeps one from seeing or understanding clearly

mist

2 of 2 verb

1

: to be or become misty

2

: to become dim or blurred

3

: to cover with a mist