Yahoo Canada Web Search

Search results

1. Dictionary

   freeze

   /friːz/

   verb

   • 1. (with reference to a liquid) turn or be turned into ice or another solid as a result of extreme cold: "in the winter the milk froze"
   • ▪ become or cause to become blocked, covered, or rigid with ice: "the pipes had frozen" Similar turn into iceice overice upsolidifyhardenarchaic:glaciateOpposite thawmelt
   • ▪ be so cold that one feels near death (often used hyperbolically): "you'll freeze to death standing there" Similar feel very coldgo numb with coldturn blue with coldshivershiver with coldget chilledget chilled to the bone/marrowinformal:feel Jack Frost's fingersOpposite overheat
   • ▪ (of the weather) be at or below freezing: "at night it froze again"
   • ▪ deprive (a part of the body) of feeling, especially by the application of a chilled anaesthetic substance.
   • ▪ stare coldly at (someone); treat coldly: "she would freeze him with a look when he tried to talk to her"
   • 2. store (something) at a very low temperature in order to preserve it: "the cake can be frozen" Similar deep-freezequick-freezefreeze-dryput in the freezerpack in iceput on iceicestore at a low temperaturechillcoolrefrigeratepreserveOpposite thawwarm up
   • ▪ (of food) be able to be preserved at a very low temperature: "this soup freezes well"
   • 3. become suddenly motionless or paralysed with fear or shock: "she froze in horror" Similar stop deadstop in one's tracksstopstand (stock) stillgo rigidbecome motionlessbecome paralysedOpposite run away
   • ▪ stop moving when ordered: "she came out with a revolver and told the boys to freeze" Similar stop deadstop in one's tracksstopstand (stock) stillgo rigidbecome motionlessbecome paralysedOpposite run away
   • 4. hold (something) at a fixed level or in a fixed state for a period of time: "new spending on defence was to be frozen" Similar fixsuspendholdpegsetlimitrestrictcurbcheckcapconfinecontrolregulatehold/keep downOpposite change
   • ▪ 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"
   • ▪ (of a computer screen) become temporarily locked because of system problems.

   noun

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

   Word Origin Old Englishfrēosan (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.

   Derivatives

   • 1. freezable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 18

   • F

     4

   • R

     1

   • E

     1

   • E

     1

   • Z

     10

   • E

     1

   Powered by Oxford Dictionaries

   More definitions, origin and scrabble points