refrigerate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of refrigerate
1525–35; < Latin refrīgerātus, past participle of refrīgerāre to make cool, equivalent to re- re- + frīgerāre to make cool, derivative of frīgus cold; see -ate 1
Explanation
To refrigerate something is to preserve it by keeping it cool. A gallon of milk might last a week if you refrigerate it, but it will be spoiled after a day or so if you leave it on the kitchen counter. At home, you refrigerate things all the time by keeping them in your refrigerator. If there's no refrigerator available, people can refrigerate things by storing them in coolers or outside in the cold months of the year. A recipe for cookies might instruct you to refrigerate them for an hour before baking them — all you have to do is put the baking sheet in the fridge. Refrigerate shares a Latin root with frigid.
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.
“LNG plants are very electricity-intensive because of the need to refrigerate and freeze the gas,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
I disregarded their advice when I enjoyed my first bite of Dubai-inspired chocolate, purely because I was too excited — and impatient — to refrigerate the bar.
From Salon • Oct. 1, 2024
Finally, Van Rein said, refrigerate leftovers immediately or discard them.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2024
Otherwise, you can freeze or refrigerate the jam.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024
Think of the electricity bill to refrigerate a 200,000-square-foot plant.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
