refrigerate

American  

[ri-frij-uh-reyt] / rɪˈfrɪdʒ əˌreɪt /

verb (used with object)

refrigerated, refrigerating

1. to make or keep cold or cool, as for preservation.

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refrigerate British  

/ rɪˈfrɪdʒəˌreɪt /

verb

1. to make or become frozen or cold, esp for preservative purposes; chill or freeze

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Other Word Forms

• nonrefrigerated adjective
• refrigeration noun
• refrigerative adjective
• refrigeratory adjective
• unrefrigerated adjective

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; -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

“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

Cover with plastic wrap, weigh it down with whatever jars you have in the pantry, and refrigerate for two days.

From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025

Finally, Van Rein said, refrigerate leftovers immediately or discard them.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2024

Fill jugs with drinkable water and refrigerate or freeze them in order to keep food or medicine cold during a potential power outage.

From Salon • May 10, 2024

Think of the electricity bill to refrigerate a 200,000-square-foot plant.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Related Words

• cool
• freeze