fridge
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of fridge
1925–30; by shortening of refrigerator or Frigidaire
Explanation
Fridge is short for refrigerator, that giant kitchen appliance that keeps food cold. If you’re too hungry to say five syllables, just say you’re going to see what’s in the fridge. Although fridge is a little word, a fridge can be anything from a regular-sized refrigerator to one of those little mini-fridges that live in a dorm room or man cave. Fridge sounds like frigid, which means very cold. The colloquial fridge has been around since the mid-1920s, possibly inspired by the well-known refrigerator brand Frigidaire.
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 scientists then reproduced the gut yeast in a fridge.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Anyone want a drink?” one of the kids calls out as he opens the fridge at the Airbnb, stocked with yogurt, soda and pressed juices.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
There are dishes in the sinks and food in the fridge, but a quick look outside at the blue skies and sunshine gives the game away - this is actually a TV set.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
I appreciate his ingenuity in saying the food in his fridge went bad due to the fallen limb, but it’s a stretch to get to $6,000.
From MarketWatch • May 28, 2026
And when I said that, well, Hugo practically jumped out from behind the counter and leapt to the ice cream fridge.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
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.
