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Showing results for frostbite. Search instead for frost-blite.
Synonyms

frostbite

American  
[frawst-bahyt, frost-] / ˈfrɔstˌbaɪt, ˈfrɒst- /

noun

  1. injury to any part of the body after excessive exposure to extreme cold, sometimes progressing from initial redness and tingling to gangrene.

verb (used with object)

frostbit, frostbitten, frostbiting

  1. to injure by frost or extreme cold.

frostbite British  
/ ˈfrɒstˌbaɪt /

noun

  1. destruction of tissues, esp those of the fingers, ears, toes, and nose, by freezing, characterized by tingling, blister formation, and gangrene

  2. a type of small sailing dinghy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
frostbite Scientific  
/ frôst′bīt′ /

  1. Damage to a part of the body as a result of exposure to freezing temperatures. It is caused by a loss of blood supply and the formation of ice crystals in the affected body part.

Etymology

Origin of frostbite

First recorded in 1605–15; frost + bite

Explanation

People get frostbite when their skin is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for long enough that their tissue is damaged. High altitude hikers in snowy conditions are vulnerable to frostbite. If your friend scolds you for not wearing your gloves on a bitterly cold day, she's not just giving you a hard time — she might be worried that you'll get frostbite on your fingers. Severe frostbite results in dead tissue and skin, and even the amputation of fingers or toes. Frostbitten came before frostbite, from the idea that your painfully cold fingers have been bitten by frost.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Another got frostbite and was flown out of the mission before it worsened.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

It’s New Year’s Eve glitter, minus the frostbite.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

I watched a medic spray a man with saline solution, while another medic treated a man with frostbite, at tables that would normally be set for lunch.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

More than 1,000 Ukrainians have been taken to hospital with frostbite and hypothermia since late December alone, according to the health ministry.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Painful, pus-filled frostbite blisters formed on his fingers and toes.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.