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
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
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
Synonyms
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
Patrick Frater, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The move effectively froze the House and left the legislation in a state of limbo.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
To freeze, let the cobbler cool completely, then wrap it in its pan in plastic, then in foil, before freezing.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
At 41, Whiteman underwent two cycles of egg freezing, in 2021.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Better yet, why not freeze it in ice cube trays for easy portioning?
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
The owners proudly announced that their orange juice was frozen within two hours of picking.
—Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
But when the young airbender from the Southern Air Temple flees from his responsibilities, he gets trapped by a storm and frozen in ice for 100 years.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Even though the spring season is officially here, freezes around Cincinnati are not yet over for the year.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 4 Apr. 2024
The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
When is the last spring freeze in Cincinnati this year?
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024
Rivas on Thursday was pleased the spending freeze and housing and homelessness deferrals made it into the final agreement.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The carrier blamed the manufacturer’s issues for a pilot hiring freeze.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The National Weather Service had issued a freeze warning for the entire Kansas City area through 9 a.m.
For those wondering if Kansas City faces the possibility of more plant- and crop-killing cold weather, historically no, according to the weather service.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The average last freeze at Dulles Airport isn’t until April 19.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Last year’s drought, extreme heat, saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River, and a hard winter freeze have devastated this year’s crawfish harvest, Associated Press reports.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024
The court order did not say how many students would be affected by the freeze, and Mr. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on whether the government would enforce the order.
—Johnatan Reiss, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
South Korea and China maintain frosty diplomatic relations and, despite Korean content being hugely popular worldwide, film industry relations have been frozen as a consequence.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
The move effectively froze the House and left the legislation in a state of limbo.
—Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
To freeze, let the cobbler cool completely, then wrap it in its pan in plastic, then in foil, before freezing.
—Patricia S York, Southern Living, 9 Apr. 2024
At 41, Whiteman underwent two cycles of egg freezing, in 2021.
—Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
Better yet, why not freeze it in ice cube trays for easy portioning?
—Carlos Matias, Bon Appétit, 6 Apr. 2024
The owners proudly announced that their orange juice was frozen within two hours of picking.
—Sheah Rarback, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2024
But when the young airbender from the Southern Air Temple flees from his responsibilities, he gets trapped by a storm and frozen in ice for 100 years.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
Even though the spring season is officially here, freezes around Cincinnati are not yet over for the year.
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 4 Apr. 2024
Noun
In 1966, the same year as the freeze, Peabody Coal Company was granted the right to mine more than 64,000 acres of coal-laden land in the Black Mesa area.
—The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024
When is the last spring freeze in Cincinnati this year?
—Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024
Rivas on Thursday was pleased the spending freeze and housing and homelessness deferrals made it into the final agreement.
—Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024
The carrier blamed the manufacturer’s issues for a pilot hiring freeze.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The National Weather Service had issued a freeze warning for the entire Kansas City area through 9 a.m.
For those wondering if Kansas City faces the possibility of more plant- and crop-killing cold weather, historically no, according to the weather service.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2024
The average last freeze at Dulles Airport isn’t until April 19.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Last year’s drought, extreme heat, saltwater intrusion on the Mississippi River, and a hard winter freeze have devastated this year’s crawfish harvest, Associated Press reports.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024
The court order did not say how many students would be affected by the freeze, and Mr. Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on whether the government would enforce the order.
—Johnatan Reiss, New York Times, 30 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.
Articles Related to freeze
Dictionary Entries Near freeze
Cite this Entry
“Freeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
freeze
1 of 2 verb1
: 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 noun1
: 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
verb1
: 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
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
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