unfreeze

American  

[uhn-freez] / ʌnˈfriz /

verb (used with object)

unfroze, unfrozen, unfreezing

1. to cause to thaw; melt.

2. to remove or relax controls or restrictions on (funds, prices, rents, etc.).

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verb (used without object)

unfroze, unfrozen, unfreezing

1. to become unfrozen; thaw.

unfreeze British  

/ ʌnˈfriːz /

verb

1. to thaw or cause to thaw

2. (tr) to relax governmental restrictions on (wages, prices, credit, etc) or on the manufacture or sale of (goods, etc)

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Etymology

Origin of unfreeze

First recorded in 1575–85; un- ² + freeze

Example Sentences

Sun’s lawsuit alleges a World Liberty executive threatened to report him to U.S. authorities if he pursued litigation to unfreeze his tokens.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 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

On Tuesday, a federal court in a separate lawsuit ordered the administration to unfreeze more than $80 million in funding that is currently being withheld.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 13, 2025

In 2018, a new law mandated that the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — allow consumers to freeze and unfreeze their credit at no cost.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 2025

“You all need to unfreeze me right now.”

From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles