freeze

 
Pronunciation: /friːz/

verb (past froze /frəʊz/; past participle frozen /ˈfrəʊz(ə)n/)

  • 1(with reference to a liquid) turn or be turned into ice or another solid as a result of extreme cold: [no object]: in the winter the milk froze [with object]: frost freezes water that has seeped into joints
  • become or cause to become blocked, covered, or rigid with ice: [no object]: the pipes had frozen [with complement]: the ground was frozen hard
  • be so cold that one feels near death (often used hyperbolically): you’ll freeze to death standing there
  • [with object] deprive (a part of the body) of feeling, especially by the application of a chilled anaesthetic substance.
  • 2 [with object] store (something) at a very low temperature in order to preserve it: the cake can be frozen
  • [no object, with complement] (of food) be able to be preserved at a very low temperature: this soup freezes well
  • 3 [no object] become suddenly motionless or paralysed with fear or shock: she froze in horror
  • stop moving when ordered: she came out with a revolver and told the boys to freeze
  • 4 [with object] hold (something) at a fixed level or in a fixed state for a period of time: new spending on defence was to be frozen
  • prevent (assets) from being used for a period of time: the charity’s bank account has been frozen
  • stop (a moving image) at a particular frame when filming or viewing: the camera will set fast shutter speeds to freeze the action
  • [no object] (of a computer screen) become temporarily locked because of system problems.
  • 5 [with object] stare coldly at (someone); treat coldly: she would freeze him with a look when he tried to talk to her

noun

  • 1an act of holding or being held at a fixed level or in a fixed state: workers faced a pay freeze
  • short for freeze-frame.
  • 2a period of frost or very cold weather: the big freeze surprised the weathermen

Phrases

freeze one's blood

(or one's blood freezes)
fill (or be filled) with a sudden feeling of great fear or horror: that sound froze my blood

Phrasal Verbs

freeze someone out

informal behave in a hostile or obstructive way so as to exclude someone: during a banquet, she completely froze out her husband

Derivatives

freezable

adjective

Origin:

Old English frēosan (in the phrase hit frēoseth 'it is freezing'), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vriezen and German frieren, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin pruina 'hoar frost' and frost