melt
melt — verb
1. When a solid substance turns into liquid because of heat, or when you heat a sol
When a solid substance turns into liquid because of heat, or when you heat a solid substance until it becomes liquid — like ice turning into water on a warm day, or butter softening in a hot frying pan.
Ritu melted some butter in a small pan before adding the vegetables.
transitive: melt + solid food ingredient
The snow along the driveway melted quickly under the bright morning sun.
intransitive: snow/ice melting in weather context
Once the chocolate melts in the bowl, pour it over the cake immediately.
The old iron gate was melted down and turned into a set of garden tools.
Leaving a stick of butter on the counter on a hot summer day will make it melt quickly.
文法句型
melt + noun (object)
melt (intransitive — no object)
用法筆記
This sense can be transitive (you melt something) or intransitive (something melts by itself). The phrasal verb melt down is common when metal or plastic is recycled.
常見錯誤
2. To start feeling love, sympathy, or kindness toward someone, or to cause someone
To start feeling love, sympathy, or kindness toward someone, or to cause someone's hard feelings to disappear — for example, when a parent's strict expression softens after a child explains an honest mistake, or when someone's cold attitude becomes warm after a kind gesture.
Maeve's heart melted when she saw the tiny kitten shivering in the rain.
heart melts — fixed expression for sudden sympathy
The little boy's honest apology melted his mother's anger in an instant.
transitive: melt + someone's anger
Dewi's strict expression melted into a warm smile when he heard the news.
Takeshi's frustration melted away after he talked through the problem with a friend.
Even the strict teacher was melted by the student's determination to keep trying.
- soften
more general; can describe both emotions and physical objects
- warm up to
gradual process of becoming friendlier toward someone
- relent
stop being strict or refusing, often after persuasion
文法句型
sb's heart melts
melt + sb's anger/resistance
melt into + emotion
用法筆記
Frequently used with heart as the subject (sb's heart melts). The phrasal form melt away is common for negative emotions like anger or frustration. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes emotional change, not physical state change.
常見錯誤
3. To slowly disappear, mix into the surroundings, or become less noticeable until
To slowly disappear, mix into the surroundings, or become less noticeable until something can no longer be clearly seen or heard — for example, morning fog melting as the sun rises, or a bird's call melting into the sound of a busy street.
The thick morning fog melted as the sun climbed higher in the sky.
intransitive: fog/weather melts
The sound of her violin slowly melted into the noise of the passing traffic.
melt into — one sound blending with another
The bright colours of the sunset melted together at the edge of the ocean.
Folake's doubts melted away once she saw how well the team worked together.
The crowd of onlookers melted away when the rain began to fall heavily.
- emerge
come out of something and become visible
- crystallize
become clear and distinct in form or idea
文法句型
melt into + surroundings/noise
melt away
melt together
用法筆記
Always intransitive — you cannot melt something in this sense. Commonly paired with into (blending) or away (disappearing). Distinguish from sense 2 by the subject: sense 3 subjects are physical phenomena (fog, colours, sounds, crowds), not emotions or people's hearts.
常見錯誤
melt — noun
1. A hot sandwich prepared by placing cheese on bread and heating it until the chee
A hot sandwich prepared by placing cheese on bread and heating it until the cheese becomes soft and runny, often with added ingredients such as tuna, turkey, or vegetables.
Marta ordered a tuna melt and a cup of tomato soup for lunch.
tuna melt — common compound food name
The small diner downtown serves the best melt sandwiches in the city.
A classic melt works well with cheddar cheese, sliced turkey, and fresh tomato.
Reuben made himself a quick cheese melt when he got home from work.
- toasted sandwich
broader category; not all toasted sandwiches have melted cheese
- grilled cheese
specifically cheese melted between buttered bread and fried in a pan
文法句型
[type of] + melt
tuna melt / cheese melt
用法筆記
Typically used in compound food names (tuna melt, patty melt, cheese melt). The word is countable — you can order two melts. This sense is most common in American English café and diner menus.