Definition

1. Noun:

   • A visible suspension of fine water droplets in the air, near the ground: "Mist" refers to a thin, light fog that reduces visibility less than a fog does. It often appears as a hazy veil.
   • Something that obscures or blurs like mist: "Mist" can figuratively describe anything that dims, conceals, or makes understanding unclear.

2. Verb:

   • To become covered with or as if with mist: To become blurred or dimmed, often due to condensation or tears.
   • To spray with a fine mist: To cover something with very fine droplets of liquid.
   • To make less visible or unclear: To obscure or blur.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • The early morning mist hung over the valley. (A thin fog was present in the valley.)
  • A mist of confusion clouded her memory of the event. (Something blurring understanding affected her memory.)

• Verb:

  • Her glasses misted up when she entered the warm room. (Condensation formed on her glasses, blurring them.)
  • The gardener misted the delicate ferns. (The gardener sprayed the ferns with a fine water spray.)
  • Tears misted his vision as he read the letter. (Tears made his sight blurry.)

Advanced Usage

• "to be lost in the mists of time": to be forgotten or unknown because it happened so long ago.

  • The origins of the ritual are lost in the mists of time. (The beginnings are ancient and forgotten.)

• "to see/understand something through a mist": to perceive something unclearly, either literally or figuratively.

  • He recalled the accident only through a mist of pain. (His memory was blurred and unclear.)

Variants and Related Words

• Misty (adj): Full of or covered with mist; vague or indistinct.

  • It was a cold, misty morning. (The morning had a lot of mist.)
  • She has only a misty recollection of her childhood. (Her memory is vague.)

• Mist over (phrasal verb): To become covered with a layer of mist or condensation; (of eyes) to fill with tears.

  • The bathroom mirror misted over. (Steam caused condensation on the mirror.)

Synonyms

• Noun: Haze, fog, vapor, film.
• Verb: Blur, dim, obscure, cloud, befog.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Mist up: Same as "mist over," to become covered with condensation or tears.
  • The car windows always mist up in this weather. (Condensation forms on the windows.)

Related Idioms

• A mist before the eyes: A temporary blurring of vision, often from emotion.

  • She felt a mist before her eyes when she heard the news. (Her vision blurred with tears.)

• To cast/throw a mist over something: To make something confusing or less clear.

  • The complex jargon cast a mist over the simple issue. (The technical language obscured the simple point.)

Noun

1. a thin fog with condensation near the ground

Verb

1. spray finely or cover with mist
2. make less visible or unclear
   • The stars are obscured by the clouds
   • the big elm tree obscures our view of the valley
3. become covered with mist
   • The windshield misted over