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.
But unless a dishwasher or a fridge stops working, buying another one is a discretionary purchase.
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Which is precisely why shakshuka — or shakshouka, depending on who’s spelling it — remains one of my favorite “clean out the fridge without feeling deprived” dinners.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
He gave a tour of his room in the quarantine center on Instagram, showing the fridge, smart TV and thermometer he was given for temperature checks.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Served with rice and warm bread for dragging through the sauce, it landed somewhere between curry, stew and strategic fridge clean-out — which, honestly, is one of my favorite genres of cooking.
From Salon • May 12, 2026
The soda and bubbly water are still in the fridge in the garage.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
