Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

fridge

American  
[frij] / frɪdʒ /

noun

Informal.
  • fridges
    plural
  1. a refrigerator.


fridge British  
/ frɪdʒ /

noun

  1. informal short for refrigerator

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

See Examples For:

This next example would be good for every 25-year-old to tape to his or her fridge so it’s not forgotten.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

My fridge is always stocked with: eggs, greens, a lot of Spindrift sparkling water, lemons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

"But in its simplest form, what we see right now is that we took an ice cube out of the fridge and it's just melting in front of our eyes."

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Oh, it’s in the fridge in the gym. In a foil. And there’s chicken in the fridge. Love you too,” MacLachlan tells his son.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

I hid it in the fridge like Agnes said to, so this morning for breakfast I scrambled it and Mom, Dad, and I each had two bites.

From "Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer" by Kelly Jones

Intermarché said its fridges had heated up to 50C for six hours overnight into Monday, and the retailer had thrown away all the affected food to avoid health risks, the Reuters news agency reported.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The inmates allegedly paid rent for the accommodation complete with couches, large beds, TVs, fridges -- even dining tables.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

People have reported storing broken fridges and freezers in their gardens for months because some council collections have been suspended.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

HFCs are mainly used in air conditioning, industrial chillers and fridges, but are also powerful greenhouse gases.

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

Packed nearly to the ceiling with couches, fridges, and rolled-up carpets, the TV room undulated with kids trying to find and haul away their stuff.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com