refreeze
Britishverb
Explanation
To refreeze something is to freeze it — change it into ice — again. If it's going to get cold enough for the melting pond to refreeze, you could be ice skating again by the end of the week. Frozen water is called ice, which is water in its solid state. Ice starts to melt into liquid water when it's warmer than 32° F (0° C). It refreezes when the temperature drops back down below that. Similarly, when the power goes out long enough, foods in your freezer start to thaw. Those foods will refreeze when the power comes back on. But wait! It's not great to refreeze many foods. The quality and safety could be negatively affected. That's why many store-bought frozen foods say "Do not refreeze" on the package.
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.
It warned that melting snow and ice could fall from buildings without warning and that streets and pavements could refreeze overnight.
From BBC ● Feb. 9, 2026
Temperatures fluctuated right around freezing day and night, causing a repeated thaw and refreeze that made sidewalks treacherous.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
This year, for the first time ever, the Arctic sea ice did not refreeze by late October.
From NewsForKids.net ● Jan. 25, 2024
An agreement was reached between the U.S. and Qatar to refreeze the money.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
“We can’t cross now, the planes shot through the ice. It will refreeze overnight. We’ll wait here in the village and cross in the morning.”
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
