freeze frame

American  

Or freeze-frame

noun

Television, Movies.

1. an optical effect or technique in which a single frame of film is reprinted in a continuous series, which when shown gives the effect of a still photograph.

2. a button or other mechanism on a projector, videocassette system, etc., allowing one to stop the projected picture at any point.

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freeze-frame British  

noun

1. films television a single frame of a film repeated to give an effect like a still photograph

2. a single frame of a video recording viewed as a still by stopping the tape

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verb

1. (tr) to make a freeze-frame of (an image)

Other Word Forms

• freeze-frame adjective

Etymology

Origin of freeze frame

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

Locking hands, Helly and Mark sprint down the hall toward the unknown as alarms blare, with the episode closing out on a freeze frame of their run as a red painted image.

From Los Angeles Times

The idea of the freeze frame on them at the end: OK, we’re together.

From Los Angeles Times

With “Love Stinks,” the J. Geils Band enjoyed breakthrough success, followed by the megahits “Centerfold” and “Freeze Frame.”

From Salon

Wolf found international fame in the early 1980s as lead singer of the J. Geils Band, the group behind such hits as “Centerfold,” “Freeze Frame” and “Love Stinks.”

From Salon

The backdrop painted for the Mattel headquarters boardroom reveals a tweaked version of the L.A. skyline that you’d have to freeze frame to notice.

From Los Angeles Times