melt
verb /melt/
/melt/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they melt | /melt/ /melt/ |
| he / she / it melts | /melts/ /melts/ |
| past simple melted | /ˈmeltɪd/ /ˈmeltɪd/ |
| past participle melted | /ˈmeltɪd/ /ˈmeltɪd/ |
| -ing form melting | /ˈmeltɪŋ/ /ˈmeltɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] to become or make something become liquid as a result of heating
- The snow showed no sign of melting.
- melting ice
- melt something The sun had melted the snow.
- boiled potatoes with melted butter
- melted cheese/chocolate/ice cream
- First, melt two ounces of butter.
Collocations CookingCookingPreparingcompare defrost, de-ice, melting point- prepare a dish/a meal/a menu/dinner/the fish
- weigh out 100g/4oz of sugar/the ingredients
- wash/rinse the lettuce/spinach/watercress
- chop/slice/dice the carrots/onions/potatoes
- peel the carrots/onion/potatoes/garlic/orange
- grate a carrot/the cheese/some nutmeg
- remove/discard the bones/seeds/skin
- blend/combine/mix (together) the flour and water/all the ingredients
- beat/whisk the cream/eggs/egg whites
- knead/shape/roll (out) the dough
- heat the oil in a frying pan
- preheat/heat the oven/(British English) the grill/(North American English) the broiler
- bring to (British English) the boil/(North American English) a boil
- stir constantly/gently with a wooden spoon
- reduce the heat
- simmer gently for 20 minutes/until reduced by half
- melt the butter/chocolate/cheese/sugar
- brown the meat for 8–20 minutes
- drain the pasta/the water from the pot/in a colander
- mash the potatoes/banana/avocado
- cook food/fish/meat/rice/pasta/a Persian dish
- bake (a loaf of) bread/a cake/(especially North American English) cookies/(British English) biscuits/a pie/potatoes/fish/scones/muffins
- boil cabbage/potatoes/an egg/water
- fry/deep-fry/stir-fry the chicken/vegetables
- grill meat/steak/chicken/sausages/a hot dog
- roast potatoes/peppers/meat/chicken/lamb
- sauté garlic/mushrooms/onions/potatoes/vegetables
- steam rice/vegetables/spinach/asparagus/dumplings
- toast bread/nuts
- microwave food/popcorn/(British English) a ready meal
- serve in a glass/on a bed of rice/with potatoes
- arrange the slices on a plate/in a layer
- carve the meat/lamb/chicken/turkey
- dress/toss a salad
- dress with/drizzle with olive oil/vinaigrette
- top with a slice of lemon/a scoop of ice cream/whipped cream/syrup
- garnish with a sprig of parsley/fresh basil leaves/lemon wedges/a slice of lime/a twist of orange
- sprinkle with salt/sugar/herbs/parsley/freshly ground black pepper
Extra ExamplesTopics Weatherb2, Physics and chemistryb2- The melting ice caps could provoke widespread flooding.
- Add melted butter and season with salt and pepper.
- These crystals have very high melting temperatures.
- [intransitive, transitive] to become or to make a feeling, an emotion, etc. become gentler and less strong
- The tension in the room began to melt.
- melt something Her trusting smile melted his heart.
- (of a person) to become extremely hot
- Today the temperature got up to 36 degrees and it felt like I was melting.
Word OriginOld English meltan, mieltan, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse melta ‘to malt, digest’, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek meldein ‘to melt’, Latin mollis ‘soft’, also by malt.
Idioms
butter wouldn’t melt (in somebody’s mouth)
- (informal) used to say that somebody seems to be innocent, kind, etc. when they are not really
melt in your mouth
- (of food) to be soft and very good to eat
- They serve steaks that just melt in your mouth.