deep freeze

¹ American  

noun

1. a state or period of halted or suspended activity or progress.

   High interest rates created a deep freeze in housing construction.

2. suspended animation.

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idioms

1. put in / into the deep freeze, to stop or suspend the activity or progress of.

   A series of quarrels put their romance into the deep freeze.

deep-freeze ² American  

[deep-freez] / ˈdipˈfriz /

verb (used with object)

deep-freezed, deep-froze, deep-freezed, deep-frozen, deep-freezing

1. to quick-freeze (food).

2. to store in a frozen frozen state.

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Etymology

Origin of deep freeze¹

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Origin of deep-freeze²

An Americanism dating back to 1945–50; deep + freeze

Example Sentences

Two years after a cold-storage operator delivered the year’s largest public offering, the U.S. market for refrigerated warehouse space is in the deep freeze.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

History reminds us big stand offs between London and Washington, such as the UK resisting American pressure to send troops to Vietnam, don't have to banish relations to a perpetual deep freeze.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2026

The pandemic’s housing rush—followed by its deep freeze caused by rising prices and mortgage rates—also played a part.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

“We’re in a deep freeze when it comes to the labor market,” said Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

In the days after Christmas, with just a week or so left in the Iowa campaign, it seemed as if half of the South Side had migrated to the deep freeze of Des Moines.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama