slow
sudden
spring, summer
The arctic shore remains frozen until the summer thaw.

arrive, begin, come
The plants will be ready for use when the spring thaw arrives.

during a/the thaw
The river often floods during the thaw.

completely
Make sure the meat has thawed completely before cooking.

partially
rapidly, slowly
a little (figurative)
Relations between the two countries thawed a little after the talks.

out
Has the meat thawed out yet?

Thaw is used with these nouns as the subject:
snow