frozen

[froh-zuhn]

verb

1. past participle of freeze.

adjective

1. congealed by cold; turned into ice.

2. covered with ice, as a stream.

3. frigid; very cold.

4. injured or killed by frost or cold.

5. obstructed by ice, as pipes.

6. chilly or cold in manner; unfeeling.

   a frozen stare.

7. rigid; immobilized.

   The child was frozen with fear.

8. quick-frozen.

   frozen foods.

9. (of food) chilled or refrigerated.

10. (especially of a drink) mixed with ice and frappéed in an electric blender.

11. in a form that is not readily convertible into cash; not liquid.

    frozen assets.

12. not permitted to be changed or incapable of being altered; fixed.

    frozen rents; frozen salaries.

13. 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.

frozen

/ ˈfrəʊzən /

verb

1. the past participle of freeze

adjective

1. turned into or covered with ice

2. obstructed or blocked by ice

3. killed, injured, or stiffened by extreme cold

4. (of a region or climate) icy or snowy

5. (of food) preserved by a freezing process

6. 1. (of prices, wages, etc) arbitrarily pegged at a certain level

   2. (of business assets) not convertible into cash, as by government direction or business conditions

7. frigid, unfeeling, or disdainful in manner

8. motionless or unyielding

   he was frozen with horror

Other Word Forms

• frozenly adverb
• frozenness noun
• prefrozen adjective
• unfrozen adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of frozen¹

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Example Sentences

“At the same time, employees in virtually every department continue to absorb expanded responsibilities and workloads, often without additional compensation, due to high turnover, limited resources, and positions that have been vacated or frozen.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That’s because ungroomed snow that has melted during the day in the warmer temperatures and then frozen overnight needs an hour or so of sun to soften into more-forgiving and fun conditions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“The fear of being frozen out of U.S. dollar payment networks is very real,” said Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The company, Kanzen Meal, which now has around 10 employees, recently began serving up nutrient-dense meals from the frozen foods aisle.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In a publication last month, the USDA’s Economic Research Service slightly raised its forecast for the average price of a frozen turkey this year.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• chilled 
• frigid 
• ice-cold 
• iced 
• icy