mist

play

noun \ ˈmist \

Definition of mist

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

See mist defined for English-language learners

See mist defined for kids

Examples of mist in a Sentence

We could barely see the shore through the mist.
The hills were veiled in a fine mist.
an issue clouded by mists of confusion

Recent Examples of mist from the Web

Legionnaires’ disease occurs when people breathe in mist or vapor contaminated with the bacteria.

— seattle times staff, The Seattle Times, "Woman dies at UW Medical Center after Legionnaires’ disease reported in 3 patients," 25 Aug. 2017
But the cold temperatures near the water created a mist that blocked Straton from seeing the solar eclipse during its period of totality.

— eileen reslen, Country Living, "Want to See the Solar Eclipse? Here's Where the Weather Will Be Best," 17 Aug. 2017
Rosewater is commonly used in face mists during facials and backstage at runway shows.

— kathleen hou, The Cut, "If Salma Hayek Tells You to Put a Smoothie on Your Face, Do It," 18 July 2017
Fate has a lot to do with it because that town only rises from the Scottish mist once every hundred years.

— myrna petlicki, chicagotribune.com, "CenterStage Lake Forest presents classic 'Brigadoon'," 17 July 2017
The setting is idyllic: Sunshine streams through a light mist.

— megan garber, The Atlantic, "Game of Thrones: About That Cameo," 17 July 2017
Lowery can't always keep the movie from drifting through the mists of pretension, and the tremulous, too-precious score, by Daniel Hart, is sometimes intrusive.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "A Ghost Story Chills-and Makes You Wonder," 13 July 2017
Rebuffed by the guards, Dean unleashed pepper spray at them and fled, sending one guard to the hospital and forcing the evacuation of 400 people as the eye-stinging mist spread through ventilation ducts in the store.

— charles rabin, miamiherald, "Serial pepper spray suspect busted after causing evacuation of Dadeland store," 7 July 2017
Coppola and her crew have created this world in haunting detail, from the opening passage — a child works her way through a towering cathedral of trees — to the mist and hanging moss that seem to cut the place off from the rest of the world.

— robert w. butler, kansascity.com, "Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Beguiled’ has its charms but should have been more beguiling," 29 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of mist

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

mist Synonyms

Synonyms

drizzle, mizzle, sprinkle

Related Words

precipitation, rainfall, shower

Near Antonyms

cloudburst, deluge, downpour, storm; rainstorm, thunderstorm; monsoon

Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

monsoon, occlusion, ozone, rime, squall, zephyr

mist

verb

Definition of mist

intransitive verb

1 :to be or become misty

2 :to become moist or blurred

transitive verb

:to cover or spray with or convert to mist

See mist defined for English-language learners

Examples of mist in a Sentence

The plant should be misted regularly.
It was misting when we arrived.

Recent Examples of mist from the Web

People milled about the fairgrounds, perusing booths and strolling through misting tents.

— jamie hale, OregonLive.com, "Madras, solar eclipse epicenter for many, still waiting for 'chaos'," 19 Aug. 2017
Part your own hair down the middle, tease the roots, and mist them with hair spray before clipping in the piece about an inch or two back from the hairline.

— hannah morrill, Allure, "The 11 Best Hairstyles With Bangs," 14 Aug. 2017
The course will also have plenty of concessions stands, hydration stations and misting fans.

— rick rothacker, charlotteobserver, "What you need to know about the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow," 31 July 2017
Frontgate Pineapple Outdoor Fan and Misting Kit: $279 for fan and $34.50 for misting kit; frontgate.com Outdoor fans will definitely increase your enjoyment of your deck on a hot day.

— jamie gold, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Cooling trends for your home," 27 July 2017
The other tables sit on a huge covered patio equipped with misting fans to combat the swampy heat, which is usually about 92 degrees with 1,000% humidity.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Where to eat, drink in Gainesville, Florida," 30 June 2017
Enjoy food vendors -- including Italian ice, popsicles, ice cream and other cool treats -- a large arts market, activities for kids and lots of misting fans to keep everyone cool.

— NOLA.com, "5 New Orleans-area festivals for this weekend, June 23-25," 21 June 2017
To prevent overheating, use cool compresses, misting, showers and baths.

— bay area news group, The Mercury News, "Tips for staying cool this summer," 18 June 2017
Hand fans abounded, and groups gathered around misting fans trying to beat the heat.

— deanna rilling, Billboard, "EDC Las Vegas 2017 Day 2 Highlights: Above & Beyond, Laidback Luke, Green Velvet & More," 18 June 2017

First Known Use of mist

before 12th century

mist Synonyms

Synonyms

becloud, bedim, befog, blacken, blear, blur, darken, dim, dislimn, fog, fuzz (up), haze, cloud, obscure, overcast, overcloud, overshadow, shadow, shroud

Antonyms

brighten, illuminate, illumine, light (up), lighten

Related Words

adumbrate, blot out, conceal, eclipse, hide, obliterate, screen, shade; camouflage, cloak, cover, curtain, disguise, mask, veil

Near Antonyms

expose, reveal, uncover, unveil

MIST Defined for English Language Learners

mist

play

noun

Definition of mist for English Language Learners

: water in the form of very small drops floating in the air or falling as rain
: a stream of liquid in the form of very small drops : a fine spray
: something that makes understanding difficult

mist

verb

Definition of mist for English Language Learners

: to become covered with very small drops of water
of a person's eyes : to fill with tears
: to cover (something) with mist

MIST Defined for Kids

mist

play

noun \ ˈmist \

Definition of mist for Students

:very tiny drops of water floating in the air or falling as fine rain

mist

verb

Definition of mist for Students

misted; misting

1 :to cover or become covered with tiny drops of water

2 :to become wet with tears

Her eyes misted.

3 :to rain very lightly

Learn More about mist

See words that rhyme with mist Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for mist Spanish Central: Translation of mist Nglish: Translation of mist for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of mist for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mist

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Origin and Etymology of mist

mist Synonyms

Synonyms

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Other Climate/Meteorology Terms

mist

Definition of mist

Examples of mist in a Sentence

Recent Examples of mist from the Web

First Known Use of mist

mist Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

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MIST Defined for English Language Learners

mist

Definition of mist for English Language Learners

mist

Definition of mist for English Language Learners

MIST Defined for Kids

mist

Definition of mist for Students

mist

Definition of mist for Students

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