frozen
Americanverb
adjective
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congealed by cold; turned into ice.
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covered with ice, as a stream.
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frigid; very cold.
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injured or killed by frost or cold.
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obstructed by ice, as pipes.
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chilly or cold in manner; unfeeling.
a frozen stare.
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rigid; immobilized.
The child was frozen with fear.
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quick-frozen.
frozen foods.
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(of food) chilled or refrigerated.
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(especially of a drink) mixed with ice and frappéed in an electric blender.
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in a form that is not readily convertible into cash; not liquid.
frozen assets.
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not permitted to be changed or incapable of being altered; fixed.
frozen rents; frozen salaries.
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Canasta. (of the discard pile) unable to be picked up by a player unless the player's hand contains a natural pair to match the top card of the pile.
verb
adjective
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turned into or covered with ice
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obstructed or blocked by ice
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killed, injured, or stiffened by extreme cold
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(of a region or climate) icy or snowy
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(of food) preserved by a freezing process
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(of prices, wages, etc) arbitrarily pegged at a certain level
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(of business assets) not convertible into cash, as by government direction or business conditions
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frigid, unfeeling, or disdainful in manner
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motionless or unyielding
he was frozen with horror
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of frozen
First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective
Explanation
Frozen liquids are so cold that they've become ice. Frozen orange juice makes a delicious homemade popsicle. If your car's door handle is frozen, it's impossible to open, and if your driveway's surface is frozen, it's a sheet of ice. If your TV dinner is still frozen after you cook it, your microwave may not be working properly. When people are frozen, they're often exaggerating how cold they are — or they may be struck as still as a statue, frozen in place. Frozen comes from freeze, with its Old English root freosan, "turn to ice."
Vocabulary lists containing frozen
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a branch of supermarket Delhaize in Hoeilaart, just outside the Belgian capital Brussels, the BBC's Europe correspondent Nick Beake found frozen pizzas and ice cream among a mountain of food having to be scrapped.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
These frozen remnants offer a rare opportunity to study the materials that eventually became planets.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026
Neither the Current nor Spirit cooperated, leaving the standings mostly frozen where they were at the start of the week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume this month, having been effectively frozen since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026
It was as if a great, overarching wave had been frozen by one touch of the World Spirit’s finger.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
