26984 words

freeze

23 definitions • 35 examples
1
If you freeze something, you lower its temperature below 0°C, causing it to become cold and often hard, and if something freezes, its temperature goes below 0°C:

Examples:

Water freezes to ice at a temperature of 0°C.
freeze hard The ground had frozen hard.
freeze solid The river used to freeze solid every winter.
We had to play the game in driving rain, but at least the pitch wasn't frozen.
freeze over When the lake freezes over (= turns into ice on the surface), we can go skating on it.
freeze up Our pipes froze up (= the water in them turned to ice) several times last winter.
The weather forecast says that it is going to freeze tonight (= that the temperature will be at or below 0°C).
freeze to death Without a sleeping bag, you would freeze to death (= become so cold that you die) out there on the mountainside.
2
to make food last a long time by storing it at a very low temperature so that it becomes hard:

Examples:

I'll freeze any food that's left over.
Most soups freeze (= can be preserved by being stored at a very low temperature) well.
3
If an engine or lock freezes, it stops working because its parts have become stuck and can no longer move:

Examples:

My old bicycle was so rusty that the gears had frozen.
If the lock has frozen up, try lubricating it with oil.
4
If a person or animal that is moving freezes, it stops suddenly and becomes completely still, especially because of fear:

Examples:

She saw someone outside the window and froze.
"Freeze (= don't move) or I'll shoot!" screamed the gunman.
5
in ice hockey, to stop the puck with a stick, or with your hand if you are a goaltender (= the player who guards the goal), and prevent it from moving or being moved by another player, which causes play to stop:

Examples:

Taylor froze the puck against the boards and the referee called for a faceoff.
6
To freeze something such as pay or prices is to fix it at a particular level and not allow any increases:

Examples:

The government has frozen pensions until the end of next year.
7
to officially and legally prevent money or property from being used or moved:

Examples:

When it was obvious the company was going bankrupt, the government ordered all their assets to be frozen.
9
a temporary stopping of something:

Examples:

freeze on The government has imposed a wage freeze/a freeze on wage increases.
10
to become cold enough to become solid:

Examples:

11
If you freeze food, you preserve it by storing it at a very low temperature.
12
Someone such as a police officer who says freeze is ordering you not to move except as the person tells you:

Examples:

[ I ] Freeze! Keep your hands up!
13
To freeze something such as pay or prices is to fix them at a particular level and not allow any increases:

Examples:

[ T ] The company has frozen salaries.
14
To freeze money or property is to officially and legally prevent it from being used or moved:

Examples:

[ T ] The government froze his assets.
15
a period when the air temperature is low enough so that water will freeze:

Examples:

The first freeze didn’t come until mid-December.
16
A freeze is a temporary stopping of something:

Examples:

The company has imposed a wage/hiring freeze.
17

Examples:

freeze wages/rates/taxes Mortgage lenders have agreed to freeze adjustable interest rates for some of the state's highest-risk borrowers.
18
if a government or court freezes someone's bank account, money, assets etc. it legally prevents them from using any of it:

Examples:

Some of the prisoners' assets were frozen by order of the government.
Officials said they will freeze 120 local bank accounts and place racketeering liens on numerous homes and businesses.
19
if a computer freezes or a computer screen is frozen, it suddenly stops working and the screen will not change even when you use the keyboard or mouse:

Examples:

If your computer freezes, you may have to shut it down manually by holding the power button for several seconds.
20
to officially stop an activity or process for a period of time:

Examples:

freeze production/sales/recruitment The world's biggest automaker announced that it will temporarily freeze production due to low demand.
21

Examples:

a pay/price/interest rate/tax freeze To deal with the pension crisis, a two-year salary freeze has been imposed on the city's 11,000 employees.
22
an official decision to stop an activity from continuing for a period of time:

Examples:

They promised to halve the deficit through a domestic spending freeze and improving government efficiency.
The temporary nuclear freeze has not impressed Washington hardliners.
a hiring/recruitment freeze Hiring freezes and layoffs are likely to continue into the new year.
a freeze on sth The organization was set up to campaign for a freeze on the growing of GM crops and animals.
23
an official order, for example, from a judge or government, that prevents money or property from being used or moved:

Examples:

impose/put/place a freeze on sth A High Court judge placed a freeze on her worldwide assets.

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