1
a
: to become congealed into ice by cold
b
: to solidify as a result of abstraction of heat
c
: to withstand freezing
the bread freezes well
2
: to become chilled with cold
almost froze to death
3
: to adhere solidly by or as if by freezing
pressure caused the metals to freeze
4
: to become fixed or motionless
especially
: to become incapable of acting or speaking
5
: to become clogged with ice
the water pipes froze
1
a
: to harden into ice
b
: to convert from a liquid to a solid by cold
2
: to make extremely cold : chill
3
a
: to act on usually destructively by frost
b
: to anesthetize by cold
4
: to cause to grip tightly or remain in immovable contact
5
a
: to cause to become fixed, immovable, unavailable, or unalterable
freeze interest rates
b
: to immobilize by governmental regulation the expenditure, withdrawal, or exchange of
freeze foreign assets
c
: to render motionless
a fake froze the defender
6
: to attempt to retain continuous possession of (a ball or puck) without an attempt to score usually in order to protect a small lead
1
a
: an act or instance of freezing
b
: the state of being frozen
2
: a state of weather marked by low temperature especially when below the freezing point
3
: a halt in the production, testing, and deployment of military weapons
a nuclear freeze
Synonyms
Examples of freeze in a Sentence
Verb
The children are going to freeze out there without their coats.
The cold weather froze the water pipes.
Noun
The freeze destroyed many oranges.
the Midwest will experience an intense freeze later in the week
Recent Examples on the Web
The View, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2024
Monday and Tuesday mornings northwest of I-4 may see temperatures drop below freezing.
—Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
One such suggestion was made by board member Michael Linder and would have cut the funding for all vacant positions, essentially creating a hiring freeze, which would have lowered the budget and use of reserve funds by around $5 million.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for freeze 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The dough also freezes very well for up to 3 months.
3.
—The View, ABC News, 27 Nov. 2024
Monday and Tuesday mornings northwest of I-4 may see temperatures drop below freezing.
—Amanda Castro, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
More:Where will thousands of people experiencing homelessness in Austin go during winter freeze?
—Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
One such suggestion was made by board member Michael Linder and would have cut the funding for all vacant positions, essentially creating a hiring freeze, which would have lowered the budget and use of reserve funds by around $5 million.
—R. Christian Smith, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for freeze
Articles Related to freeze
Dictionary Entries Near freeze
Cite this Entry
“Freeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
freeze
1 of 2 verb1
: to harden into or be hardened into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
the river froze over
freeze the stew for dinner next week
2
: to be or become uncomfortably cold
turn up the heat—I'm freezing
3
a
: to damage or kill by frost
froze the tomato plants
b
: to anesthetize by cold
4
: to stick by or as if by freezing
the clothes froze to the line
fear froze the driver's hands to the wheel
5
: to clog or become clogged with ice
the water pipes froze
6
: to make or become fixed or motionless
the engine froze
froze in their tracks
7
: to fix at a certain stage or level
freeze prices
freeze
2 of 2 noun1
: a state of weather marked by low temperature
2
a
: an act or instance of freezing
a wage freeze
b
: the state of being frozen
Medical Definition
freeze
verb1
: to become hardened into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
2
a
: to become chilled with cold
almost froze to death
b
: to anesthetize a part especially by cold
1
: to cause to harden into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
2
: to make extremely cold : chill
3
a
: to act on usually destructively by frost
b
: to anesthetize by cold
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