freezing point
Americannoun
noun
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The temperature at which a liquid, releasing sufficient heat, becomes a solid. For a given substance, the freezing point of its liquid form is the same as the melting point of its solid form, and depends on such factors as the purity of the substance and the surrounding pressure. The freezing point of water at a pressure of one atmosphere is 0°C (32°F); that of liquid nitrogen is −209.89°C (−345.8°F).
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See also state of matter
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Water freezes at thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit) or zero degrees Celsius.
Etymology
Origin of freezing point
First recorded in 1740–50
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.
If those nucleation sites are absent, water can remain liquid even after it has been cooled below its normal freezing point.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
US-produced Jet A has a higher freezing point from the Jet A‑1 fuel used elsewhere in the world -- making it less resistant to very low temperatures during long-haul flights.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
In the days before the mountain crashed down, Switzerland's zero-degree threshold – the altitude at which the temperature reaches freezing point – rose above 5,000 metres, higher than any mountain in the country.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2025
As ice crystals start to form, the concentration of sugars and other dissolved materials in the unfrozen liquid increases, which further lowers its freezing point.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2023
“The freezing point decreases and the boiling point increases.”
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
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.
