hoar 1 of 2

hoar

2 of 2

noun

as in frost
a covering of tiny ice crystals on a cold surface the hoar-covered meadow gleamed in the early-morning sun

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hoar
Adjective
During cold weather the moisture precipitates out of the air onto every branch and willow bush, coating them in a layer of hoar frost. Seth Adams, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 May 2023 Surface hoar is created when water vapor is deposited on the snow surface, like dew. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 Surface hoar forms regularly in the Sierra, said Schwartz. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 The hidden layer of fragile surface hoar, with facets playing a contributing role, is now the failure point for large and unpredictable slabs of snow. Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 18 Jan. 2024 There are many different kinds of frost: crystalline (hoar) frost, white frost, black frost, advection frost, and the frost that forms on glass windows, to name a few. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 8 Dec. 2023
Noun
But sometimes the crystals grow particularly large, forming hoar frost. Tom Yulsman, Discover Magazine, 24 Jan. 2014 The hoar frost made the trees sparkle as though Earthquake Park were contained in a snow globe. Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Jan. 2022 Furthermore, the clear conditions preceding the storm could have led to the formation of a layer of light, feathery frost, known as surface hoar. Douglas Preston, The New Yorker, 10 May 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoar
Adjective
  • The company decided on the dire wolf for two main reasons: their ancient DNA was available, and they can safely be born using a surrogate.
    Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2025
  • The gray wolves share physical features with dire wolves but remain genetically and behaviorally distinct due to the limits of current technology and incomplete ancient DNA.
    John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Annuals are known for their amazing flower power, putting on an endless show from spring through frost.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2025
  • The cold snap could impact new spring vegetation and lead to frost in some areas.
    Doyle Rice, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The 27 Project Kuiper satellites will comprise the heaviest payload that the venerable Atlas V has ever flown, according to Amazon.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Note: If those prices are too steep, Arlington’s venerable Bigotes Restaurant is 1½ miles south off Stadium Drive.
    Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Desk calendar Your old phone can be repurposed as your personal calendar.
    Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report, FOXNews.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • My father, Mila’s grandfather, after whom she is named, was five years old at the time.
    David Bezmozgis, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Every year, the show’s producers try to think of new ways to celebrate movies, but the hoariest methods are usually best.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2025
  • The 1922 German expressionist film cribbed the plot of Stoker’s Dracula (with some alterations) and created the first horror-movie masterpiece, conjuring a unique take on one of the genre’s hoariest texts.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Not medieval Spain, but as recently as the 1980s in the Soviet Union.
    Olga & Igor Alterman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Sonja Drimmer is an associate professor of medieval art and architecture at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the author of The Art of Allusion: Illuminators and the Making of English Literature, 1403–1476 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2018). NOTES 1.
    Sonja Drimmer, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The nonprofit is offering a $500 reward per set for the return of the antique doors.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Among the weird things people left behind were a full sheet of uncut $2 bills, a toilet seat, silicone butt pads, a rattlesnake preserved in a jar of whiskey and an antique French guide to performing exorcisms.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hoar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoar. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!