unfreeze
Americanverb (used with object)
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unfreezes,
present (3rd person singular)
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unfroze,
past
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unfrozen,
past participle
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unfreezing
present participle
-
to cause to thaw; melt.
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to remove or relax controls or restrictions on (funds, prices, rents, etc.).
verb (used without object)
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unfreezes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
unfroze,
past
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unfrozen,
past participle
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unfreezing
present participle
verb
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to thaw or cause to thaw
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(tr) to relax governmental restrictions on (wages, prices, credit, etc) or on the manufacture or sale of (goods, etc)
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unfreezesimple
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unfreezessimple
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have unfrozenperfect
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has unfrozenperfect
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am unfreezingprogressive
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are unfreezingprogressive
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is unfreezingprogressive
-
have been unfreezingperfect progressive
-
has been unfreezingperfect progressive
Past
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unfrozesimple
-
had unfrozenperfect
-
was unfreezingprogressive
-
were unfreezingprogressive
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had been unfreezingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unfreeze
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.
See Examples For:
Efforts to unfreeze the market before its natural thaw are where conservatives and progressives are finding common ground.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
Iran's president said on Monday that the steps to unfreeze the funds were "under way".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
The two sides have made progress on mechanisms to unfreeze Iranian cash, on the reopening of the strait and on references to Iran’s nuclear program, mediators said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Magyar has promised to crack down on corruption, improve public services such as healthcare and carry out reforms required to unfreeze billions of euros in EU funds earmarked for Hungary.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
Emma sensed rather than fully saw the others starting to unfreeze and let go of the shelves they’d been holding on to.
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Maybe Garvey will also increase his Cameo fee when he inevitably unfreezes his account.
From Slate ● May 29, 2024
If within a few months, stock prices bounce back, investors start putting money into startups again and the market for initial public offerings unfreezes, the industry might be fine.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 6, 2022
But some analysts say that even if the United States unfreezes Afghanistan’s state assets and lifts sanctions, the Finance Ministry does not have the technical know-how to revive the country’s broken banking system.
From New York Times ● Jan. 13, 2022
He has vowed to continue airing the party's secrets until China unfreezes his assets and releases his relatives who have been seized by authorities, he says, as leverage against him.
From Time ● Aug. 31, 2017
I tap Roho with the bag, and he instantly unfreezes.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Scientists successfully unfroze part of a mouse brain—and it still worked.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Late last year, the Commission concluded that Hungary had put in place judicial reforms, and unfroze 10 billion euros.
From New York Times ● Feb. 1, 2024
The high court determined the appeals court erred on a technicality when it unfroze Randazzo’s property.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 18, 2024
He was referring in part to the deal in September in which Iran released Americans who had been held there, and the U.S. unfroze $6 billion in Iranian assets.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 9, 2023
Emma unfroze a little, starting to point out to Natalie, “If that h translates into a t, that makes that word ‘this.’
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"If there is any frozen Iranian assets that are unfrozen, then we have approval over that process; the Qataris have approval over that process," he said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
On Tuesday, Hungary's parliament turned its attention to further changes to the law required before some of the billions of euros withheld by the European Commission can be unfrozen.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Most U.S. sanctions relief would be tied to Iran’s performance of the deal, not merely its signing, though some assets could be unfrozen to begin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026
"Your money is being unfrozen but you can’t contact the people who actually froze it," a senior official at an HIV/AIDS organization said.
From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2025
I went north on clear ground under the trees, or through the water when there was no clear ground; the river, a hasty little tributary of the Esagel, was still unfrozen.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Pakistan-Qatar joint statement does not mention any unfreezing of Iranian assets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
At stake is the unfreezing of billions of dollars, providing a huge incentive for Iran, as it faces soaring inflation and the collapse of its export-driven economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
One is access to money, in the form of sanctions relief and the unfreezing of tens of billions of dollars from its oil revenues.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
But Iranian officials reiterated Tuesday that unfreezing the country’s overseas assets remains a precondition for continued negotiations.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
DEDUCTION: We need to find them and start unfreezing more townspeople.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
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.
