freeze

1 of 2

verb

froze ˈfrōz How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; frozen ˈfrō-zᵊn How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; freezing

intransitive verb

1
a
: to become congealed into ice by cold
b
: to solidify as a result of abstraction of heat
c
: to withstand freezing
the bread freezes well
2
: to become chilled with cold
almost froze to death
3
: to adhere solidly by or as if by freezing
pressure caused the metals to freeze
4
: to become fixed or motionless
especially : to become incapable of acting or speaking
5
: to become clogged with ice
the water pipes froze

transitive verb

1
a
: to harden into ice
b
: to convert from a liquid to a solid by cold
2
: to make extremely cold : chill
3
a
: to act on usually destructively by frost
b
: to anesthetize by cold
4
: to cause to grip tightly or remain in immovable contact
5
a
: to cause to become fixed, immovable, unavailable, or unalterable
freeze interest rates
b
: to immobilize by governmental regulation the expenditure, withdrawal, or exchange of
freeze foreign assets
c
: to render motionless
a fake froze the defender
6
: to attempt to retain continuous possession of (a ball or puck) without an attempt to score usually in order to protect a small lead

freeze

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: an act or instance of freezing
b
: the state of being frozen
2
: a state of weather marked by low temperature especially when below the freezing point
3
: a halt in the production, testing, and deployment of military weapons
a nuclear freeze

Examples of freeze in a Sentence

Verb The children are going to freeze out there without their coats. The cold weather froze the water pipes. Noun The freeze destroyed many oranges. the Midwest will experience an intense freeze later in the week
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The Lake Michigan sanctuary off Wisconsin's coast is home to dozens of shipwrecks that represent and preserve both a moment frozen in time and a window into the past, said Russ Green, superintendent of Wisconsin’s national marine sanctuary. Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024 The sopa will keep, covered tightly in aluminum foil, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or frozen for up to one month. Christina Morales, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2024 But even characters who in a lesser piece would be frozen into caricatures are granted some depth and fluidity, which helps sustain the series over 10 episodes. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 Temperatures haven’t dipped to freezing since Feb. 25, and even before that there was little winter to speak of in Washington. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 For this one, freeze non-toxic washable paint and water into ice cubes the night before. Christin Perry, Parents, 17 Mar. 2024 More than half the US population will experience temperatures at or below freezing. Allison Chinchar, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 In October, the group decided to freeze Schumacher’s pay for two years in a compromise with those shareholders. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 15 Mar. 2024 Senators want answers from the Biden administration on the recent cyberattack that froze millions of hospital and physician insurance claims, and concrete plans to prevent the next disruptive attack on health care. Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 14 Mar. 2024
Noun
Washington was on target to have the earliest final freeze on record. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Temperatures were forecast to dip below freezing across much of the Deep South Tuesday morning, the weather service said, prompting a freeze warning for at least 24 million people from Texas to North Carolina. Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Swedish buy-now-pay-later giant Klarna recently raved about an AI chatbot doing the work of 700 call center workers—just months after enacting a massive hiring freeze in December 2023 and laying off 10% of its workforce in 2022. Jane Thier, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 Boxwoods that perished or were severely damaged were most likely weakened ahead of the freeze by insect damage. Chris McKeown, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2024 Charvel said those raises were needed to counteract a pay freeze from 2012 through 2018 that had left the salaries of San Diego city workers much lower than their counterparts at other government agencies. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024 Who qualifies for the new property tax freeze in Jackson County? Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The measures have targeted the energy sector, banks, the world’s biggest diamond mining company, businesses and markets, and made Russian officials subject to asset freezes and travel bans. Samuel Petrequin, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024 While the pay freeze helped San Diego balance its budget despite lower per-capita revenues than most other cities, the freeze also created big problems. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freeze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English fresen, from Old English frēosan; akin to Old High German friosan to freeze, Latin pruina hoarfrost, Old English frost frost

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of freeze was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near freeze

Cite this Entry

“Freeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

freeze

1 of 2 verb
froze ˈfrōz How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; frozen ˈfrōz-ᵊn How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; freezing
1
: to harden into or be hardened into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
the river froze over
freeze the stew for dinner next week
2
: to be or become uncomfortably cold
turn up the heat—I'm freezing
3
a
: to damage or kill by frost
froze the tomato plants
b
: to anesthetize by cold
4
: to stick by or as if by freezing
the clothes froze to the line
fear froze the driver's hands to the wheel
5
: to clog or become clogged with ice
the water pipes froze
6
: to make or become fixed or motionless
the engine froze
froze in their tracks
7
: to fix at a certain stage or level
freeze prices

freeze

2 of 2 noun
1
: a state of weather marked by low temperature
2
a
: an act or instance of freezing
a wage freeze
b
: the state of being frozen

Medical Definition

freeze

verb
froze ˈfrōz How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; frozen ˈfrōz-ᵊn How to pronounce freeze (audio) ; freezing

intransitive verb

1
: to become hardened into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
2
a
: to become chilled with cold
almost froze to death
b
: to anesthetize a part especially by cold

transitive verb

1
: to cause to harden into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
2
: to make extremely cold : chill
3
a
: to act on usually destructively by frost
b
: to anesthetize by cold

Legal Definition

freeze

transitive verb
froze; frozen; freezing
1
: to cause to become fixed, immovable, unavailable, or unalterable
freeze interest rates
2
: to immobilize (as by government regulation or the action of a financial institution) the expenditure, withdrawal, or exchange of
freeze foreign assets
3
: to restructure (the capital of a close corporation) so that the value is reflected mostly in preferred stock rather than common stock

Note: Once capital is frozen, the common shares can be transferred to the heirs of the owner without taxation while the owner continues to enjoy the income from preferred stock dividends during his or her lifetime.

freeze noun

More from Merriam-Webster on freeze

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