gets frothy

Meanings

1. 1phraseintransitive

   (of a liquid) becomes covered with small bubbles or foam.

   Grammar: "Get" links the subject to the adjective "frothy"; the subject is usually a liquid.

   Patterns

   • something gets frothy
   • gets frothy when something happens

   Whisk the milk until it gets frothy on top.

   The sea gets frothy near the rocks after a storm.

   Let the soup simmer until it gets frothy around the edges.

2. 2phraseintransitiveinformalfigurative

   (of a person or group) becomes very excited, angry, or agitated.

   Grammar: Informal and figurative; the subject is a person or a crowd, not a liquid.

   Patterns

   • someone gets frothy about something
   • gets frothy over something

   He gets frothy about anything to do with politics.

   The crowd got frothy as the band came on stage.

   Don't get frothy over a small mistake.

Common combinations

get frothy at the mouth

The dog got frothy at the mouth after the long run.

froth up

Beat the eggs and let them froth up.

get worked up

She gets worked up about tiny details.

Synonyms and how they differ

foamy

Describes a liquid that already has foam; "gets frothy" stresses the change into that state.

fizzy

Used for drinks with gas bubbles, not for thick foam on milk or sea water.

agitated

A more formal word for the excited-person sense; it does not suggest foam.

Opposites

Word family

froth noun

A mass of small bubbles on a liquid.

frothy adjective

Covered with or made of foam.

frothily adverb

In a foamy or light, excited way.

Commonly confused: gets frothy or frothy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “gets frothy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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