fresh

/fɹɛʃ/

fresh adjective: newly produced or obtained; recent.

Adjective (1)

fresh (comparative fresher, superlative freshest)

Newly produced or obtained; recent.
- He followed the fresh hoofprints to find the deer.
- I seem to make fresh mistakes every time I start writing.
Not dried, frozen, or spoiled.
- After taking a beating in the boxing ring, the left side of his face looked like fresh meat.
- I brought home from the market a nice bunch of fresh spinach leaves straight from the farm.
Antonyms:

stale
(of plant material) Still green and not dried.
- With fresh material, taxonomic conclusions are leavened by recognition that the material examined reflects the site it occupied; a herbarium packet gives one only a small fraction of the data desirable for sound conclusions. Herbarium material does not, indeed, allow one to extrapolate safely: what...1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, page vii
Invigoratingly cool and refreshing.
- What a nice fresh breeze.
- The corridor stinks of sweat and cigarette smoke, and I daringly open the window a little. The freshest air floats in, smelling of sappy grasses, the delicate pollens of wild flowers, the resins of the pine forests; hinting at the chill blue scent of distant snows.2013, Margaret Leroy, The English Girl, →ISBN
Synonyms:

cool
Without salt; not saline.
- After a day at sea it was good to feel the fresh water of the stream.
- There we made our ſhip faſt with foure ropes, in ſmooth water, and the freſh water ranne downe out of the hill into the ſea, […]a. 1628, Sir Francis Drake(?), The World Encompassed, Nicholas Bourne (publisher, 1628), page 49
Antonyms:

saline
Rested; not tired or fatigued.
- Before the match, Hodgson had expressed the hope that his players would be fresh rather than rusty after an 18-day break from league commitments because of two successive postponements.2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC
Synonyms:

rested

Antonyms:

tired
In a raw or untried state; uncultured; unpracticed.
- a fresh hand on a ship
Synonyms:

callow, experienceless, inexperienced, unexperienced, green, new, punk, pup, raw, strange
Youthful; florid.
- these fresh nymphs1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
(slang) Good, fashionable.
- a fresh pair of sneakers
- I've been thinking about the way you walk
  Baby ooh I like the way you talk
  Tell you something I really can't hide
  Heaven must have sent you to be by my side
  Fresh and lovely fresh like a dream come true
  I'll give anything to spend the night with you1984, “Fresh”, in Emergency, performed by Kool & the Gang
Synonyms:

cool, fashionable
(archaic, slang) Tipsy; drunk.
- How long did Mr. Crisp stay with you?—He might have stayed two hours; he stayed some time after; he drank ale and got fresh.1840, Parliamentary Papers, volume 9, page 43

Adverb

fresh (not comparable)

Recently; just recently; most recently.
- We are fresh out of milk.
- fresh-cooked salmon.

Noun

fresh (plural freshes)

A rush of water, along a river or onto the land; a flood.
- They went on very well with their work until it was nigh done, when there came the second epistle to Noah's fresh, and away went their mill, shot, lock, and barrel.1834, David Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, Nebraska, published 1987, page 21
A stream or spring of fresh water.
- […]And take his bottle from him. / When that's gone, / He shall drink naught but brine, for I'll not show him / Where the quick freshes are.1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published...
The mingling of fresh water with salt in rivers or bays, as by means of a flood of fresh water flowing toward or into the sea.
- When they cross any great Water, or violent Fresh, or Torrent, they throw Tobacco, Puccoon, Peak, or some other valuable thing, that they happen to have about there, to intreat the Spirit presiding there, to grant them a safe passage. It is call'd a Fresh, when after very great Rains, or (as we...1705, Robert Beverley, Jr., History and Present State of Virginia

Verb

fresh (third-person singular simple present freshes, present participle freshing, simple past and past participle freshed)

To pack (fish) loosely on ice.
- With the exception of about 1800 crans which were "rough packed," all the herrings landed during the winter months were freshed and kippered.1921, Commonwealth Shipping Committee, Report - Volume 12
- Aided by government propaganda, herring became an important British war-time food, not pickled, but 'freshed' (packed loosely in ice) and kippered.1960, Nigel Nicolson, Lord of the Isles: Lord Leverhulme of the Hebrides, page 84
To flood or dilute an area of salt water with flowing fresh water.
- Our first assumption was that freshed sea water areas were favourable for these organisms.1974, Bilješke - Volumes 31-76, page 1
- Under the present river conditions, headwater discharge of 40,000 cusecs will be necessary during the non-freshed season to neutralise the landward drift of sediments throughout the tidal portion of the river.1977, India. Parliament. House of the People, India. Parliament. Lok Sabha, Lok Sabha Debates, page 226
To become stronger.
- Horrible was now my condition, as the wind freshed up more and more.1815, William Williams, The Journal of Llewellin Penrose, a Seaman
- I should have observed, that as we rounded the north-east point, the breeze freshed, and the squalls came heavy out of the gullies and deep ravines.1834, Frederick Marryat, The naval officer, page 259
To rebore the barrel of a rifle or shotgun.
- When the barrel became very rough the gun was taken to the local gunsmith and "freshed."1910, Hunter-trader-trapper - Volume 19, Issue 6, page 92
- There is also the oft-heard plaint that "modern steel barrels can't be re-rifled or freshed out."1974, George C. Nonte, Home guide to muzzle-loaders, →ISBN, page 132
To update.
- Thus the liberties of the nation, civil and religious, were laid freshed by his preaching, and. more and more confirmed in the presbyterian principles: and we likewise resorted for a time at West Calder kirk, to Mr. Patrick Shiels, by whose preaching I was yet more confirmed in the presbyterian way.1822, Alexander Reid, Life of ―, a scotish govenanter, page 7
- We need not assume that the famous village was considered the capital of the country spoken of; it is sufficient to know that the priests who freshed up the old Ta-ts'in lore in China, were proud of having been themselves born in the Holy Land; and if we consider the precedent set in the very...1885, Chinese Recorder - Volume 16, page 419
To freshen up.
- I freshed meself and followed after him and made choice of me dinner.1943, Maggie Jeanne Melody Wadelton, Maggie No Doubt, page 132
- There was no need for them all to be there—most would be resting in their rooms, freshing from the journey—but she was on edge now, all the questions she could not ask running through her head.2009, Robert Jordan, The Great Hunt, →ISBN
To renew.
- Q. Did you tell anybody this tale that you heard this man threaten what they were going to do?—A. No, sir; I didn't say nothing to anybody until Monday—Monday or Tuesday, one—then my mind was freshed.1884, United States Congressional Serial Set - Volume 2178, page 503
- In the nook of a wood where a pool freshed with dew Glassed, daybreak till evening, blue sky glimpsing through Then a star; or a slip of May-moon silver-white, Thridding softly aloof the quiet of night, Was a thicket of flowers.1902, Walter De la Mare, Dorothy Pulis Lathrop, Down-adown-derry: A Book of Fairy Poems, →ISBN
Of a dairy cow, to give birth to a calf.
- A cow was actually tested twice a month on the 5th and 25th of each month. The cow freshed December 15, her milk was good December 18, and she went dry October 30.1940, James Frank Kendrick, The cow tester's manual, page 23
- Fall Freshed Cows Produce More Milk.1946, Co-op News – Volumes 20-21, page 3

Adjective (2)

fresh (comparative fresher, superlative freshest)

(idiomatic) Rude, cheeky, or inappropriate; presumptuous; disrespectful; forward.
- No one liked his fresh comments.
(idiomatic) Sexually aggressive or forward; prone to caress too eagerly; overly flirtatious.
- Hey, don't get fresh with me!
- “Fresh guy,” explained Aileen, “last night as I was going home at Twenty-third and Sixth. Sashayed up, so he did, and made a break. I turned him down, cold, and he made a sneak; […]1906 April, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], “The Brief Début Of Tildy”, in The Four Million, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co, →OCLC, page 256

Proper noun capitalized: Fresh

Fresh (plural Freshes)

A surname from German.

fresh meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

fresh in Hindi

newly produced or obtained: ताज़ा tāzā

fresh in Tamil

புத்தம் புதிய, அண்மைய, சுடச்சுட, புதுப்பொலிவுடைய, புத்திய, புத்தீய

fresh in Marathi

fresh: ताजे tāj̈e, तरतरीत taratrīt

fresh in Urdu

newly produced or obtained: تَازَہ tāza

More languagesFewer languages

fresh in Bengali: তাজা taja
fresh in Telugu: సరికొత్త sarikotta, తాజా tājā, శీతలీకరించిన śītalīkariñcina, ముడిగా muḍigā
fresh in Malayalam: ചൂടൻ cūṭaṉ
fresh in Kannada: ಹಸಿರು hasiru
fresh in Punjabi: ਸੱਜਰਾ sajjarā, ਤਾਜ਼ਾ tāzā, سَجّرا sajjrā, تازَہ tāzah
fresh in Gujarati: તાજું tājũ, લીલું līlũ
fresh in Odia: ତଟକା taṭakā
fresh in Sanskrit: अपर्युषित aparyuṣita, आर्द्र ārdrá, सरस sarasa
fresh in Assamese: সতেজ xotez, তাজা taza, জীয়া zia, ন no
fresh in Nepali: ताजा
fresh in Arabic: طَازَج ṭāzaj, طَازَة ṭāza, طَرِيّ ṭariyy, عَذْب ʕaḏb
fresh in Malay: segar, nyaman
fresh in Indonesian: segar
fresh in Persian: تازه tâze, شیرین širin
fresh in Thai: สด sòt, สดชื่น sòt chêun, จืด jʉ̀ʉt
fresh in Vietnamese: tươi, mới
fresh in Myanmar: ကောင်း kaung:, လန်း lan:

Examples of fresh in a sentence

With his recent divorce still fresh in his mind, he was unable to concentrate on his work.
a glass of fresh milk
Where will you find a purer and more suggestive bit of criticism given in a fresher and more implicatory style than the following?1854 October, “You have heard of Them”, in D. W. Holly, editor, The United States Review, New York, N.Y.: Lloyd & Brainard […], page 327:
In fact, street food may well be fresher than that served in restaurants and cafes, as it is cooked at the point of sale.2000, Catherine Hanger, Morocco: World Food:
Today was her little sister’s birthday, and what better way to commemorate than eating salad brimmed with the freshest of fruits.2020 September, Darcy Encarnacion, “When It Falls”, in Scribbles, volume 1, number 1, Manila: De La Salle University Writers’ Guild, page...
When dissolved, it produces water sometimes perfectly fresh, and sometimes saltish; […]1820, William Scoresby, An Account of the Arctic Regions, Archibald Constable & Co., page 230:

All 40 example sentences with fresh

Synonyms of fresh

7 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of fresh

Forms of fresh

Adjective
comparative	fresher
superlative	freshest
Noun
plural	freshes
Verb
third-person singular present	freshes
present participle	freshing
past participle	freshed
past	freshed
Proper noun
plural	Freshes

Origin of fresh

From Middle English fressh, from Old English fersċ (“fresh, pure, sweet”), from Proto-West Germanic *frisk (“fresh”), from Proto-Germanic *friskaz (“fresh”), from Proto-Indo-European *preysk- (“fresh”). The verb is from Middle English freshen (“to freshen”), from the adjective. Cognate with Scots fresch (“fresh”), West Frisian farsk (“fresh”), Dutch vers (“fresh”), Walloon frexh (“fresh”), German frisch (“fresh”), French frais (“fresh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk frisk (“fresh”), Swedish frisk (“well, fresh”), Icelandic ferskur (“fresh”), Lithuanian prėskas (“unflavoured, tasteless, fresh”), Russian пре́сный (présnyj, “sweet, fresh, unleavened, tasteless”). Doublet of fresco and frisk. Slang sense possibly shortened form of “fresh out the pack”, 1980s routine by Grand Wizzard Theodore.

First use appears c. 1848, US slang, probably from German frech (“impudent, cheeky, insolent”), from Middle High German vrech (“bold, brave, lively”), from Old High German freh (“greedy, eager, avaricious, covetous”), from Proto-West Germanic *frek, from Proto-Germanic *frekaz (“greedy, outrageous, courageous, capable, active”), from Proto-Indo-European *preg- (“to be quick, twitch, sprinkle, splash”). Cognate with Old English frec (“greedy; eager, bold, daring; dangerous”) and Danish fræk (“naughty”). More at freak.

Possibly an Americanized form of German Frisch.

Words formed from fresh

Phrases with fresh

9 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with fresh

21 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about fresh

What does fresh mean?: Fresh means newly produced or obtained; recent.
What is fresh in Hindi?: Fresh in Hindi is ताज़ा (tāzā). See Fresh meaning in Hindi.
How do you use fresh in a sentence?: With his recent divorce still fresh in his mind, he was unable to concentrate on his work.
What part of speech is fresh?: Fresh can be an adjective, an adverb, a noun or a verb.
How do you pronounce fresh?: Fresh is pronounced /fɹɛʃ/.

Words near fresh in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-fresh.ogg.

Cite this entry: “fresh.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/fresh. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.