freezing

American  

[free-zing] / ˈfri zɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of temperatures) approaching, at, or below the freezing point.

2. extremely or uncomfortably cold; chilled.

   We were both freezing and welcomed the hot cocoa.

3. beginning to freeze or partially frozen; frozen; in the process of being or becoming frozen. frozen.

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freezing British  

/ ˈfriːzɪŋ /

adjective

1. informal extremely cold

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Other Word Forms

• freezingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of freezing

First recorded in 1605–15; freeze + -ing ²

Example Sentences

Temperatures in Angeles National Forest can range from below freezing overnight in winter, especially above 6,000 feet, to above 100 degrees in summer.

From Los Angeles Times

Temperatures in areas covered by the yellow warning are expected to fall to around highs of 6C and lows below freezing from New Year's Day.

From BBC

The storm is also expected to bring freezing rain and snow to parts of the upper Midwest and mid-Atlantic regions.

From The Wall Street Journal

He added that frost and freezing temperatures are likely in western rural areas overnight on Christmas Day into Boxing Day with -6C possible in rural parts of Scotland and -4C in rural Wales.

From BBC

Construction halts for months during the winter, when freezing temperatures make tasks like mixing cement impossible.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• biting
• chilly
• frigid
• frosty
• glacial
• icy
• numbing
• polar
• wintry