frozen

American  

[froh-zuhn] / ˈfroʊ zən /

verb

1. past participle of freeze.

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adjective

1. congealed by cold; turned into ice.

2. covered with ice, as a stream.

3. frigid; very cold.

4. injured or killed by frost or cold.

5. obstructed by ice, as pipes.

6. chilly or cold in manner; unfeeling.

   a frozen stare.

7. rigid; immobilized.

   The child was frozen with fear.

8. quick-frozen.

   frozen foods.

9. (of food) chilled or refrigerated.

10. (especially of a drink) mixed with ice and frappéed in an electric blender.

11. in a form that is not readily convertible into cash; not liquid.

    frozen assets.

12. not permitted to be changed or incapable of being altered; fixed.

    frozen rents; frozen salaries.

13. Canasta. (of the discard pile) unable to be picked up by a player unless the player's hand contains a natural pair to match the top card of the pile.

frozen British  

/ ˈfrəʊzən /

verb

1. the past participle of freeze

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adjective

1. turned into or covered with ice

2. obstructed or blocked by ice

3. killed, injured, or stiffened by extreme cold

4. (of a region or climate) icy or snowy

5. (of food) preserved by a freezing process

6. 1. (of prices, wages, etc) arbitrarily pegged at a certain level

   2. (of business assets) not convertible into cash, as by government direction or business conditions

7. frigid, unfeeling, or disdainful in manner

8. motionless or unyielding

   he was frozen with horror

Other Word Forms

• frozenly adverb
• frozenness noun
• prefrozen adjective
• unfrozen adjective

Etymology

Origin of frozen

First recorded in 1300–50, for the adjective

Example Sentences

“With post‑cease-fire paths ranging from a narrow diplomatic off‑ramp to a frozen conflict or renewed fighting, markets appear to be pricing beyond worst‑case outcomes,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Deborah Oyaleke was sent into a large freezer room to verify cartons of frozen fish.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

At one point on Saturday, the toilet was unable to dump its waste overboard, possibly due to a frozen vent line, Nasa said.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

The active layer holds large quantities of organic material that have been frozen for thousands of years.

From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026

I was half frozen by the time I let myself into the kitchen and began peeling off my sleet-crusted mittens and ice-crunchy hat.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• chilled
• frigid
• ice-cold
• iced
• icy