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
Lows will probably dip into the 30s Sunday and Monday nights, but remain above freezing. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 Even worse, it wasn’t even frozen, since the plane was close to the ground and not in freezing temperatures. Julia Buckley, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 First up: Why do some foods freeze better than others? Lisa Donovan, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 Today, corporate America’s knee-jerk reaction of tapping seemingly anyone and everyone to become a diversity leader has quickly evolved to a significant pruning of the role, with companies like Zoom laying off entire diversity teams, rescinding budgets, and freezing hiring within the function. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2024 Dial and his colleagues focused on October, when that ice remains low before the winter chill, but air temperatures regularly drop below freezing. Matt Simon, WIRED, 4 Mar. 2024 The embryos can be frozen for genetic testing or to keep them viable for future use. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 Following mid-January's statewide snowstorms and multi-day cold snap, Lake Mendota, along with Madison's other major lakes, were declared frozen on Jan. 15, nearly a month later than the average freeze date of Dec. 20. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 Dana Taylor: Some fertility patients decide to freeze eggs or embryos following a cancer diagnosis. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
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 Comparatively, last winter, Mendota and Monona saw freeze durations of 98 and 91 days, respectively. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2024 This freeze means Goldman cannot move forward with an embryo transfer, leaving her in limbo and at risk of medical complications. Amanda Musa, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024 The last time the Metroplex had to worry about a freeze was back in January. David Montesino, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024 Pension-eligible employees will continue to accrue benefits under the pension plans until the freeze date. Joe Cornell, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Mendota's latest freeze date on record was Jan. 30, in 1932. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Under a credit freeze, no one (including you) can open new accounts in your name. Nerdwallet, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 The four are subject to a U.K. asset freeze and travel and visa ban. Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 13 Feb. 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 19 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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