From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmistmist1 /mɪst/ ●●○ noun 1 [countable, uncountable]DN a light cloud low over the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far → fog We could just see the outline of the house through the mist. He vanished into the mist. The hills were shrouded in mist (=covered in mist, so that you could not see them). The mist came down off the mountains. The mists rolled in off the sea (=came on to the land from the sea)2 → lost in the mists of time3 → see something through a mist of tearsCOLLOCATIONSverbsbe covered in mist (also be shrouded in mist literary)The tops of the mountains were shrouded in mist.a mist comes down/in (=comes to a place)The mist came down like a curtain.a mist rolls in (=moves along to a place)A mist began to roll in off the sea.the mist clears/lifts (=goes away)The mountains suddenly appeared as the mist lifted.mist swirls (=moves in circles)The boat disappeared into the swirling mist.a mist hangs/lies somewhere (=stays in a place)A thick mist lay on the hills.a mist drifts (=moves slightly)A mist drifted over the marsh.a mist rises (=comes up from something such as water)I could see the mist rising from the river.a mist obscures/hides something (=covers something so that you cannot see it)Mist obscured the ships in the harbor.disappear/vanish into the mist (=stop being seen because of the mist)He passed me on the trail and disappeared into the mist.appear out of the mist (also emerge from the mist)Suddenly my commanding officer appeared out of the mist.loom out of the mist (=start being seen in a way that is not clear, because the mist still covers it slightly)Here and there trees loomed out of the mist.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + mista fine/light mistA fine mist began to settle on the water.a thick/heavy mistOutside, a heavy mist obscured everything.the morning/evening mistThe sun broke through the morning mist.autumn mist(s)The field looked magical in the autumn mist.a sea mistAlice sailed into a small patch of sea mist.phrasesa veil/curtain of mist (=an amount of mist that prevents you seeing something clearly)We looked up, through the veil of mist, at the waterfall.
Examples from the Corpus
mist• From Primrose Hill, London looked like a ruined city shrouded in mist.• A light mist lay in the valley.• Daybreak A little mist hangs above the pond, which is still save for a single mallard paddling slowly back and forth.• A murky mist of smog obscured the view of the city.• Junior standing ready in a glowing shroud of mist.• About half way through the fifty-kilometer journey, the Dolomites suddenly appeared as the mist lifted.• As Jack took a step towards the figure the mist suddenly cleared and the figure disappeared.• Genius is Wordsworth peering down from Snowdon in the mist.• Within seconds he had completely vanished in the mist.• The mist had curdled to a fog which muffled the street-lamps and reduced visibility to thirty or forty yards.• The mist along the river banks had gone by mid morning.• It was black under the trees and a white mist of dislodged snow hung close to the ground.mistmist2 verb [transitive]WATER to cover something with very small drops of liquid in order to keep it wet The plant has to be misted every day. → mist over → mist up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
mist• Sweat from the washing-up misted her forehead and nose.• His breath misted the cold glass and he turned away, indifferent to others' arguments.• Cafe curtains misted the kitchen-side windows.• Mist the plant daily to keep it moist.• I n the United States the hot breath of corruption is misting up the mirror of democratic politics.Origin mist1 Old English 