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freeze

freeze

44 1.4
A time when it is cold enough for water to turn to ice
  • noun
  • /friːz/
translation icon : helada
  • Meteorologists predicted a severe freeze that would last for several days, affecting travel plans.
  • a deep freeze
  • a winter freeze
  • killing freezes

Examples

  • Most of the towns and settlements of this northern deep freeze are dotted along its largely ice-free west coast.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We'd had this wonderful glimmer of hope, And then the Sea of Japan incident put our relations with Kim ll-Jong back into the deep freeze.

  • Anyway, the experiment in which these two subjects... are to be placed into a dry freeze... for exactly one year is set to begin tomorrow.

  • And last update are the tomatoes that got hit by the freeze when the door was left open.

  • The 34-degree water preserved ships and bodies like a deep freeze, he adds.

    Academic text (2005)
  • A freeze is coming.

  • It's becoming a reality in the job, with pay freezes and the workload increasing.

    Academic text (2011)
  • South Texas also lacks the Midwest's deep-freeze temperatures that hold down weed growth in winter.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The freeze caught many gardeners by surprise, damaging their delicate plants.

  • After a long spell of warm weather, a sudden freeze last night covered everything in frost.

Synonyms

freezing
vsfreeze
79 1.6

A change when a liquid turns into a solid because it gets very cold

also refers to that process but can mean a cold period as well
deep freeze
vsfreeze
  • UK
2 4.3

A period of very cold weather that lasts several days

means a cold period or process but is less extreme or shorter

Antonyms

thaw
  • UK
12 2.0

A period when snow and ice melt because the weather is warmer

Idioms

9.9

To make your bottom very cold by sitting or staying outside in cold weather

9.9

Be very cold, like in winter

Suddenly stop moving because you feel afraid or surprised

Compounds

freeze-dried
  • Specialized
6 4.1

Food with most water removed by freezing and drying so it keeps for a long time

A rule that stops a company or government office from taking on new workers to save money

2 4.3

A period of very cold weather that lasts several days

2 6.0

A time when work or activity stops for a long time

1 3.5

A very cold freezer for keeping food for a long time

1 4.1

A policy that stops pay from increasing for a set time

price freeze
  • Specialized
1 4.1

An action that keeps prices at their current level for a set time to stop big price rises

freeze-dryer
  • Specialized
6.2

A machine that keeps food or lab samples from spoiling by freezing and removing their water

freeze-drying
  • Specialized
4.1

A way to dry food or medicine by freezing it and removing the ice so it keeps its shape

quick-freeze
  • Specialized
3.8

A machine or process that makes food very cold quickly to keep its taste and vitamins

A short time of making something very cold before long storage

How Cold

deep freeze
  • UK
2 4.3
freeze
44 1.4
cold spell
  • UK
1 3.5
cold snap
  • UK
6 3.2

Surface Forms

freeze singular
freezes plural

Etymology

Freeze comes from an old word for getting very cold, like frost, so a 'freeze' is a time when the weather is cold enough to turn water and plants to ice and cause harm.