freeze
freeze — verb
1. to become solid because the temperature drops to or below 0°C; or to cause a liq
to become solid because the temperature drops to or below 0°C; or to cause a liquid to become solid by lowering its temperature to that point
The lake froze completely after three days of below‑zero temperatures.
intransitive: water turns to ice in cold weather
Andrei left a bottle of water on the balcony, and it froze overnight.
intransitive: liquid becomes solid from cold
The pipes in the old house froze because the heating had been turned off.
If you leave wine in the freezer too long, it will freeze and push out the cork.
The ground had frozen solid by the time the construction crew arrived the next morning.
passive: be frozen + adjective (solid)
- freeze solid
- freeze overnight
- freeze completely
Grammar Patterns
freeze + object
subject + freeze
Usage Note
Frequently used intransitively for natural phenomena (lakes, rivers, ground) and transitively for human actions (freezing water to make ice).
Common Mistakes
2. to store food at a temperature well below 0°C so that it stays fresh for weeks o
to store food at a temperature well below 0°C so that it stays fresh for weeks or months; or to be suitable for this kind of storage
Emma froze the extra tomatoes from her garden to use in winter soups.
transitive: freeze + food for long‑term storage
This type of bread does not freeze well because it becomes dry and crumbly.
intransitive: food freezes well or badly
The fisherman froze his catch immediately to keep it fresh for the market.
Otis froze several portions of cooked rice so he could reheat them later.
You should freeze raw meat within two days of buying it.
- freeze well
- freeze meat
- freeze vegetables
- frozen food
- deep‑freeze
more informal; often refers to storing at very low temperatures in a chest freezer
- thaw
return frozen food to normal temperature before cooking or eating
Grammar Patterns
freeze + food
food + freeze
Usage Note
Often used in cooking instructions: 'can be frozen', 'freezes well'. The intransitive use describes how a food behaves under freezing conditions.
Common Mistakes
3. when a machine, engine, lock, or computer screen freezes, it stops moving or wor
when a machine, engine, lock, or computer screen freezes, it stops moving or working properly, often because its parts are stuck or the system has a problem
The car engine froze when Tunde tried to start it on the icy winter morning.
intransitive: engine stops due to cold
Yan's computer screen froze right in the middle of saving her document.
intransitive: computer stops responding
The lock on the garden gate froze and would not turn no matter how hard he pulled.
The old furnace froze overnight because the pilot light had gone out.
- freeze up
- engine freezes
- computer freezes
- screen freezes
Grammar Patterns
subject (machine/computer) + freeze
Usage Note
For computers, 'freeze' means the system stops responding entirely. In Taiwan, the colloquial term is 當機 (dàng jī). For mechanical parts, 'freeze' usually means cold has made them unable to move.
4. to suddenly become completely still and stop all movement, usually because of fe
to suddenly become completely still and stop all movement, usually because of fear, surprise, or a sudden shock
The rabbit froze when it saw a fox at the edge of the field.
intransitive: animal stops still from fear
Nala froze in the doorway after hearing a strange noise from the basement.
intransitive: person becomes still from shock
The children froze at the sound of their teacher's angry voice.
Mateo froze for a second, then slowly turned around to face the intruder.
The deer in the headlights froze mid‑step and stared at the approaching car.
- freeze in place
- freeze in fear
- freeze mid‑sentence
- freeze in one's tracks
Grammar Patterns
subject (person/animal) + freeze
Usage Note
Common with 'in fear', 'in shock', 'in one's tracks'. The image is of a person turning as stiff as ice—the same core metaphor as the cold sense.
Common Mistakes
5. to press or hold the puck against the ice or the boards in an ice-hockey game so
to press or hold the puck against the ice or the boards in an ice-hockey game so that play stops and the opposing team cannot take control of it
The goaltender froze the puck with his glove, stopping play immediately.
sports term: freeze the puck in ice hockey
Sivan froze the puck against the boards to give his teammates a chance to rest.
Dario froze the puck along the side wall when he saw three opponents closing in.
A defender may freeze the puck near the net if no teammate is open for a pass.
- freeze the puck
Grammar Patterns
freeze + the puck
Usage Note
A technical term in ice hockey. Not used in everyday conversation outside of sports contexts.
6. to keep wages, prices, rents, or spending at their current level by official dec
to keep wages, prices, rents, or spending at their current level by official decision, not allowing any increase
The government decided to freeze public sector wages for two years.
transitive: freeze + wages at current level
The university froze tuition fees to help students during the economic crisis.
The company froze all hiring until the end of the financial quarter.
Landlords in the city agreed to freeze rents for the following twelve months.
- freeze wages
- freeze prices
- freeze hiring
- freeze spending
- raise
increase wages, prices, or spending
Grammar Patterns
freeze + wages/prices/rents
Usage Note
Subject is usually a government, company, or institution that has control over the prices or wages being frozen. Often used during periods of high inflation or economic difficulty.
7. to legally prevent money, property, or bank accounts from being used, moved, or
to legally prevent money, property, or bank accounts from being used, moved, or withdrawn, typically by a court order or government action
The court froze the company's bank accounts during the fraud investigation.
transitive: freeze accounts by legal order
The judge ordered the authorities to freeze all assets belonging to the suspect.
The government froze the accounts of several groups linked to illegal trade.
Banks must freeze any funds that appear linked to criminal activity.
passive: funds are frozen by banks
- freeze assets
- freeze a bank account
- freeze funds
- release
allow frozen money or property to be used again
Grammar Patterns
freeze + assets/accounts/funds
Usage Note
Frequently found in news reports about legal investigations and international sanctions. The person whose assets are frozen cannot use them until the legal situation is resolved.
freeze out
phrasal verbTo deliberately exclude someone from a group or activity.
The older kids froze out the new boy from their games.
Why did they freeze her out of the project meeting?
freeze over
phrasal verbTo become covered with ice on the surface.
The lake froze over completely during the cold night.
Has the pond frozen over yet this winter?
To cause someone to feel extreme fear or shock.
The horror movie made my blood freeze.
Her scream froze the blood of everyone in the room.
To suddenly stop moving because something frightens or surprises you.
When the bear appeared, Sara froze in her tracks.
Did you stop in your tracks when you saw the accident?
To cause someone to suddenly stop, or to suddenly stop yourself, because of fear or surprise.
The loud noise stopped the teacher in her tracks.
He halted in his tracks when he heard his name called.
freeze — noun
1. a period of time when the temperature stays at or below 0°C and everything outdo
a period of time when the temperature stays at or below 0°C and everything outdoors becomes icy
A big freeze in January killed many of the plants in the garden.
collocation: big freeze
A sudden freeze caught the farmers by surprise and damaged their crops.
The weather forecast warned of a hard freeze overnight in the northern region.
collocation: hard freeze
After the freeze, the roads were too icy for the school buses to run safely.
- big freeze
- hard freeze
- sudden freeze
- deep freeze
- thaw
a period of warm weather that melts ice and snow
Usage Note
Commonly used with adjectives like 'big', 'hard', 'deep', or 'sudden'. A 'hard freeze' means temperatures well below 0°C for an extended period.
2. an official decision to keep something at its current level without increase, or
an official decision to keep something at its current level without increase, or to temporarily stop an activity
The company announced a freeze on all new projects until next year.
pattern: freeze on + noun (activity)
The hiring freeze at the hospital meant no new nurses could be recruited.
collocation: hiring freeze
The union agreed to a wage freeze to protect jobs during the recession.
collocation: wage freeze
A freeze on government spending was put in place to reduce the national debt.
- wage freeze
- price freeze
- hiring freeze
- freeze on spending
- pay freeze
- suspension
implies a temporary stop; broader—can apply to activities that are not economic
- cap
sets a maximum rather than holding at current level
- increase
a rise in wages, prices, or spending after a freeze ends
Grammar Patterns
a freeze on + noun
Usage Note
Almost always follows the pattern 'a freeze on + noun'. Common in business, government, and labour contexts. The noun can refer to the thing being frozen (a wage freeze) or the activity that stops (a hiring freeze).
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/4
All five words describe a halt in movement, but they differ in cause and duration. Freeze (verb/4) specifically means to stop suddenly because of fear, shock, or surprise — it implies the body goes rigid, like turning into ice. Stop is the general word: you can stop for any reason (a red light, to tie your shoe, to admire a view). Pause suggests a short, deliberate break before continuing, like pausing a video. Stiffen focuses on the body becoming tense and hard, but you might stiffen while still moving (e.g., stiffening your back during a difficult task). Stand still simply means not moving, without any emotion or tension. For example: 'The witness froze when the lawyer asked about the missing money' (fear), versus 'The tour guide paused to let everyone take photos' (deliberate break), versus 'The soldier stood still during the inspection' (no emotion).
Common collocations
Etymology
Freeze comes from Old English frēosan, meaning 'to become ice, turn to ice'. It traces back to the Proto-Germanic root *freusanan, which is related to Old High German friosan and Old Norse frjósa. The metaphorical uses developed over centuries: 'to become motionless from fear' dates from the 1800s, while the financial senses (freezing wages, assets) arose in the early 1900s. The computer sense of 'stop responding' appeared in the 1980s as personal computers became common.