to be freezing outside
7
1.0
- phrasal verb
- /bi ˈfrizɪŋ aʊtsaɪd/
:
hacer frío afuera
- It's freezing outside.
- here, it's freezing outside
Now don't let this bright sunny weather fool you, it is freezing outside.
- Now don't let this bright sunny weather fool you, it is freezing outside.
Examples
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Yes, it may be freezing outside, but the ducks are still there and they're still hungry.
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It's freezing outside, and you've got my kids cleaning your precious car?
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It's weird, though, because when it was freezing outside (-10 C), my hands weren't as dry as they are right now.
Blog text (15) -
It's freezing outside!
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It's freezing outside, so don't forget to wear your warm coat.
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I can't believe how freezing outside it is; I can see my breath in the air.
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Make sure to check the weather, as it's freezing outside this morning.
Synonyms
89
1.0
Very cold with surfaces covered in ice
34
1.0
Very cold, like frozen water
30
4.1
Very cold, like ice or freezing air
15
1.3
Very cold, at or below freezing
14
4.5
Very cold, like the weather near the North Pole
11
1.0
Cold, often with a thin layer of ice on the ground
5
7.0
Very cold or scary
1
4.1
Very cold with no warmth left
1
3.9
Colder than the temperature where water turns to ice
1
6.8
Very cold, often with a strong wind
1
9.9
People say this to mean very cold in a joking, exaggerated way
1
9.9
Very cold in a way that feels unpleasant
So cold that water turns to ice
Much colder than normal, for example in special freezers or very cold weather
Very cold in a way that makes being outside difficult
Very low in temperature and clearly unfriendly
Feeling quite cold, often said about the weather
How Cold
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently composed from 'be' (exist in a state) + 'freezing' (very cold) + 'outside' (in the open air), so a B1 learner who knows the words will infer that it means it is very cold outdoors. This simple predicative construction is cross-linguistically common and follows regular English grammar, making it immediately comprehensible.
Etymology
Be freezing outside uses a simple image: freezing is when water turns to ice and outside means outdoors. So when people say it, they mean 'to be extremely cold outdoors'.