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.
Airlines in Britain and across Europe are obliged to use a different formula, Jet A1, which has a lower freezing point.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
The WSV said it's difficult to say when the river will become fully navigable, as temperatures are expected to drop below freezing point again.
From Barron's ● Jan. 19, 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
Sugar has the physical function in slushies of decreasing the freezing point of water.
From Salon ● Feb. 28, 2024
When the morning came, a northwest breeze brought warmer air, raising the temperature almost up to the freezing point, but with rain and sleet falling, the men were still covered in ice.
From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
