freeze

American  

[freez] / friz /

verb (used without object)

• freezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• froze,
  past
• frozen,
  past participle
• freezing
  present participle

1. to become hardened into ice or into a solid body; change from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat.

2. to become hard or stiffened because of loss of heat, as objects containing moisture.

   Meat will freeze in a few hours.

3. to suffer the effects of intense cold; have the sensation of extreme cold.

   We sat there freezing until the heat came on.

4. to be of the degree of cold at which water freezes.

   It may freeze tonight.

5. to lose warmth of feeling; be stunned or chilled with fear, shock, etc..

   My heart froze when she told me the news.

6. to become immobilized through fear, shock, etc..

   When he got in front of the audience he froze.

7. to stop suddenly and remain motionless; halt.

   I froze in my tracks.

8. to become obstructed by the formation of ice, as pipes.

   Our basement water pipes often freeze in winter.

9. to die or be injured because of frost or cold.

10. (of a screw, nail, or the like) to become rigidly fixed in place, as from rust or dirt.

11. to become fixed to something by or as if by the action of frost.

12. to become unfriendly, secretive, or aloof (often followed byup ).

    He froze at such a personal question.

13. Digital Technology. (of hardware or software) to become temporarily inoperable; cease to function (often followed byup ).

    The new software made my laptop freeze.

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verb (used with object)

• freezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• froze,
  past
• frozen,
  past participle
• freezing
  present participle

1. to harden into ice; change from a fluid to a solid form by loss of heat; congeal.

2. to form ice on the surface of (a river, pond, etc.).

3. to harden or stiffen (an object containing moisture) by cold.

4. to quick-freeze.

5. to subject to freezing temperature; place in a freezer or in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator.

6. to cause to suffer the effects of intense cold; produce the sensation of extreme cold in.

7. to cause to lose warmth as if by cold; chill with fear; dampen the enthusiasm of.

8. to cause (a person or animal) to become fixed through fright, alarm, shock, etc..

   Terror froze him to the steering wheel.

9. to kill by frost or cold.

   A late snow froze the buds.

10. to fix fast with ice.

    a sled frozen to a sidewalk.

11. to obstruct or close (a pipe or the like) by the formation of ice.

    The storm had frozen the hydrant.

12. to fix (rents, prices, etc.) at a specific amount, usually by government order.

13. to stop or limit production, use, or development of.

    an agreement to freeze nuclear weapons.

14. Finance. to render impossible of liquidation or collection.

    Bank loans are frozen in business depressions.

15. Digital Technology. to render (hardware or software) temporarily inoperable.

    Ironically, it was a security update for my operating system that froze my computer.

16. Surgery. to render part of the body insensitive to pain or slower in its function by artificial means.

17. Cards.

    1. Canasta. to play a wild card on (the discard pile) so as to make it frozen.

    2. Poker. to eliminate (other players) in a game of freezeout.

18. to photograph (a moving subject) at a shutter speed fast enough to produce an unblurred, seemingly motionless image.

19. Movies. to stop by means of a freeze-frame mechanism.

    You can freeze the action at any point.

20. Sports. to maintain possession of (a ball or puck) for as long as possible, usually without trying to score, thereby reducing the opponent's opportunities for scoring.

21. Ice Hockey. to hold (a puck) against the boards with the skates or stick, causing play to stop and forcing a face-off.

noun

• freezes
  plural

1. the act of freezing; state of being frozen.

2. Also called ice-up.  Meteorology. a widespread occurrence of temperatures below 32°F (0°C) persisting for at least several days.

   A freeze is expected in the coastal areas.

3. a frost.

4. Digital Technology. a cease in function when software gets caught in loops or hardware lacks sufficient processing power to continue a task.

5. a legislative action, especially in time of national emergency, to control prices, rents, production, etc..

   The government put a freeze on new construction.

6. a decision by one or more nations to stop or limit production or development of weapons, especially nuclear weapons.

verb phrase

1. freeze on / onto to adhere closely to; hold on; seize.

2. freeze out to exclude or compel (somebody) to withdraw from membership, acceptance, a position of influence or advantage, etc., by cold treatment or severe competition.

3. freeze over to coat or become coated with ice.

   The lake freezes over for several months each year.

freeze British  

/ friːz /

verb

1. to change (a liquid) into a solid as a result of a reduction in temperature, or (of a liquid) to solidify in this way, esp to convert or be converted into ice

2. to cover, clog, or harden with ice, or become so covered, clogged, or hardened

   the lake froze over last week

3. to fix fast or become fixed (to something) because of the action of frost

4. (tr) to preserve (food) by subjection to extreme cold, as in a freezer

5. to feel or cause to feel the sensation or effects of extreme cold

6. to die or cause to die of frost or extreme cold

7. to become or cause to become paralysed, fixed, or motionless, esp through fear, shock, etc

   he froze in his tracks

8. (tr) to cause (moving film) to stop at a particular frame

9. to decrease or cause to decrease in animation or vigour

10. to make or become formal, haughty, etc, in manner

11. (tr) to fix (prices, incomes, etc) at a particular level, usually by government direction

12. (tr) to forbid by law the exchange, liquidation, or collection of (loans, assets, etc)

13. (tr) to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or use of (something specified)

14. (tr) to stop (a process) at a particular stage of development

15. informal (tr) to render (tissue or a part of the body) insensitive, as by the application or injection of a local anaesthetic

16. informal to cling

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noun

1. the act of freezing or state of being frozen

2. meteorol a spell of temperatures below freezing point, usually over a wide area

3. the fixing of incomes, prices, etc, by legislation

4. another word for frost

1. a command to stop still instantly or risk being shot

freeze Scientific  

/ frēz /

1. To change from a liquid to a solid state by cooling or being cooled to the freezing point.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• freezability
  noun
• refreeze
  verb
• defreeze
  verb (used with object)
• prefreeze
  verb (used with object)
• freezable
  adjective
• nonfreezable
  adjective
• postfreeze
  adjective
• refreezable
  adjective
• unfreezable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• freezes
  plural

Participles

• freezing
  present
• frozen
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• freeze
  simple
• freezes
  simple
• have frozen
  perfect
• has frozen
  perfect
• am freezing
  progressive
• are freezing
  progressive
• is freezing
  progressive
• have been freezing
  perfect progressive
• has been freezing
  perfect progressive

Past

• froze
  simple
• had frozen
  perfect
• was freezing
  progressive
• were freezing
  progressive
• had been freezing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will freeze
  simple
• will have frozen
  perfect
• will be freezing
  progressive
• will have been freezing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of freeze

First recorded before 1000; (verb) Middle English fresen, Old English frēosan; cognate with Middle Low German vrēsen, Dutch vriezen, Old Norse frjōsa, Old High German friosan ( German frieren ); (noun) late Middle English frese, derivative of the verb

Explanation

When liquids freeze, they become so cold that they turn solid. The little squares of water in an ice tray freeze and become ice cubes when you put them in your freezer long enough. Orange juice and grape drink freeze into popsicles, and puddles freeze overnight if the temperature drops enough. You can freeze things, too, as when you freeze leftovers to be reheated in a few days. People often tend to use this verb in an exaggerating way when they're feeling cold: "If you don't wear your gloves, your fingers will freeze!" The Old English root of freeze is freosan, "turn to ice."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

freeze freezes froze frozen freezing

Linda and Razzell were in the midst of getting a divorce at the time and Linda had visited a local bank with a court order to freeze his accounts the week before she disappeared.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Ocasio-Cortez flagged this in an Instagram story discussing why women might freeze eggs.

From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026

But I know why many women whom I know have chosen to freeze their eggs.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

“The rollout of this surcharge is a debacle,” said Randy Mastro, a lawyer for the plaintiffs who also brought the lawsuit against Mamdani’s rent freeze earlier this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

My anger ran hot and cold—cold from wanting to freeze him out, but mostly hot with humiliation, rage, and frustration.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Webb's observations effectively "freezes" the planetary nebula at one moment in its long evolution, but the consequences of the star's death are continuing.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

Any of these outcomes are possible for AOC and any other woman who freezes her eggs.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

The decree published on Friday immediately freezes her assets, citing a legal mechanism aimed at preventing the commission of "new acts of interference", the finance ministry said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

That was caused by freezes in the licence fee through some of that period, as well as changes in audience behaviour.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

Claudine freezes, pastry hovering right at her lips.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

I froze and wondered if he sensed my fight-or-flight response.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

Lisabeth froze the rock and used X-rays to observe how ice formed inside the tiny spaces between individual grains.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

In the meantime, her hesitation froze the field.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Kalshi froze Perez's account before any profits could be withdrawn, according to reports.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Later I saw the beauty of it, the falling lobes of blue ice that had grown as the water froze and refroze, layering on itself.…

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

Gen Z is pushing back against influencers, delighting in Obama-era signifiers like frozen yogurt and fighting off the “tradwife” trend.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

But he predicted a backlash against Burnham from traditional media annoyed at being "frozen out".

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The conflict between the two occupants of the Korean peninsula has been effectively frozen since an armistice was signed in 1953.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

That contributed to the popularity of other DIY pickle-infused drinks, including pickle lemonade, pickle margaritas and this summer, white wine with frozen pickle slices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

He felt frozen, unable to do anything but watch JB and Mr. Hodge stare each other down.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

This week, Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced she too was beginning the process of freezing her eggs, documenting the daily mechanics of giving herself hormone shots on social media.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

But homeowners can see much bigger monthly bills during the scorching summer or freezing winter months, when they might run their heating or air-conditioning systems more aggressively.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

The response on the left was largely to leave AOC alone, because her freezing her eggs is none of our business.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Since the pair formed in 2018, fans have watched them weather freezing winter storms, incubate eggs and dote on fuzzy chicks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

The stone floor is so freezing cold I can feel it through both pairs of my socks.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Related Words

• chill
• ice
• refrigerate