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

2

: to become moist or blurred

transitive verb

: to cover or spray with or convert to mist

Synonyms

Noun

• drizzle
• mizzle
• sprinkle

Verb

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

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

The device is not particularly technologically advanced; the electronic components inside consist of little more than a battery and a heating coil that turns liquid into mist. —Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2025

Copper frames reference The Balvenie’s distillation process, brutalist forms nod to the distillery’s architecture, and mist, light and sound call the slow, transformative maturation of The Balvenie Fifty Collection. —Nargess Banks, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Verb

Fisher suggests a few tips for ensuring strong seedlings: mist the seedlings regularly, keep them on seedling mats while germinating, and use a UV light positioned about two inches above the seedlings to prevent them from becoming too tall and weak. —Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 23 Feb. 2025

An old hairstylist trick is to lightly mist your brush or comb with some hairspray to tame frizzies and flyaways. —Bella Cacciatore, Glamour, 12 Feb. 2025

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