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Synonyms

freeze out

British  

verb

  1. informal (tr, adverb) to force out or exclude, as by unfriendly behaviour, boycotting, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
freeze out Idioms  

  1. Shut out or exclude by unfriendly treatment; force to retire or withdraw from membership, a job, or the like. For example, They tried to freeze me out of the conversation, or After Bill was frozen out of the case, they hired a new lawyer. [Mid-1800s]

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.

The U.S. job market is off to a rough start in the new year, with companies announcing more layoff plans after freezing out job seekers, cutting back on hiring, and rattling markets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Eventually, it was Rachel's turn to be frozen out.

From BBC

For decades, scientists believed dark matter had to be cold when it separated from the intense radiation filling the young Universe, a process known as freezing out.

From Science Daily

On Friday, Minnesota officials said they would open their own inquiry after saying they had been frozen out of the federal investigation.

From BBC

On Friday, Minnesota officials said they would open an inquiry into the shooting after saying they had been frozen out of the federal investigation.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.