freezer

freezer — noun

1. An electric kitchen appliance that keeps food frozen through intense cold, allow

1.nounB1
Definition

An electric kitchen appliance that keeps food frozen through intense cold, allowing it to stay safe to eat for weeks or months.

Example

Aiko put the extra vegetables in the freezer to keep them from going bad.

put + in the freezer — placement action

The freezer was full of frozen pizzas and ice cream for the party.

full of + frozen items — typical contents

Common collocations
  • chest freezer
  • upright freezer
  • freezer door
  • freezer compartment
  • deep freezer
  • freezer burn
  • freezer bag
  • pack the freezer
  • defrost the freezer
Synonyms
  • deep freeze

    more specific term for a chest freezer or very cold storage unit; slightly less common in everyday speech

  • icebox

    old-fashioned term, still used informally in some American contexts

  • freezer compartment

    the small freezing section inside a refrigerator, not a full separate appliance

Antonyms
  • refrigerator

    keeps food cold but does not freeze it; a fridge is set to a higher temperature than a freezer

  • oven

    heats food rather than freezing it

Grammar Patterns

a/the + [adjective] + freezer

in/out of the freezer

Usage Note

A freezer is a separate appliance (chest or upright model). In many homes, a 'fridge freezer' combines a refrigerator and freezer in one unit. A 'freezer compartment' inside a basic fridge is smaller and may not keep food frozen safely for long periods.

Common Mistakes

Please put the milk in the freezer to keep it cool.
Please put the milk in the fridge to keep it cool.
A freezer freezes food solid; a fridge keeps food cool without freezing it.
The ice cream is in the freezer at the supermarket.
The ice cream is in the frozen food aisle at the supermarket.
'Freezer' is the home appliance, not the refrigerated section of a shop.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Freezer' is the general term for any electric appliance that stores food at freezing temperatures. 'Deep freeze' (also 'deep-freeze' or 'chest freezer') refers specifically to a large, box-shaped freezer that opens from the top and keeps food at very low temperatures — it suggests a more heavy-duty unit than a standard upright freezer. 'Icebox' is an older, informal term originally used for a non-electric ice-cooled cabinet; today it is used loosely for a refrigerator or freezer but sounds dated. 'Freezer compartment' describes the small freezing section inside a refrigerator, not a standalone appliance. For everyday use, 'freezer' is the safest and most common choice. Example: 'We store a whole chicken in the deep freeze for months, but the freezer compartment in our kitchen only keeps ice cream for a week or two.'

freezer ↗deep freezeicebox ↗freezer compartment

Common collocations

Nouns

  • freezer door
  • freezer shelf
  • freezer temperature
  • freezer space

Phrases

  • pack the freezer
  • defrost the freezer
  • freezer burn
  • freezer bag

Prepositions

  • in the freezer
  • out of the freezer
  • from the freezer

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

'Freezer' comes from the verb 'freeze' (from Old English 'frēosan', meaning 'to become ice') combined with the suffix '-er', which names a thing that performs an action. The word first appeared in English in the mid-1800s for ice-cream freezers (hand-cranked machines). With the arrival of electric home refrigerators in the 1930s and 1940s, 'freezer' came to refer to the standalone electric appliance that keeps food frozen for long periods.