Meaning

13 senses

  1. (copulative, intransitive)Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.

    The lake froze solid.

    1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha, Book XX: The Famine, Ever thicker, thicker, thicker / Froze the ice on lake and river,

    gefrieren

    замерза́тьzamerzátʹ, замёрзнутьzamjórznutʹ

    замерза́тиzamerzáty, заме́рзнутиzamérznuty

    change from a liquid to a solid when cold

  2. (transitive)To lower something's temperature to the point that it freezes or becomes hard.

    Don't freeze meat twice.

    1888, Elias Lönnrot, John Martin Crawford (translator, from German), The Kalevala, Rune XXX: The Frost-fiend, Freeze the wizard in his vessel, / Freeze to ice the wicked Ahti, ...

    einfrieren

    замора́живатьzamoráživatʹ, заморо́зитьzamorózitʹ

    заморо́жуватиzamoróžuvaty, заморо́зитиzamorózyty

  3. (intransitive)To drop to a temperature below zero degrees celsius, where water turns to ice.

    It didn't freeze this winter, but last winter was very harsh.

    frieren

    моро́зитьmorózitʹ

    заморожуватиzamorožuvaty, заморожуватисяzamorožuvatysja

  4. (informal, intransitive)To be affected by extreme cold.

    It's freezing in here!

    Don't go outside wearing just a t-shirt; you'll freeze!

    frieren

    мёрзнутьmjórznutʹ

    be cold

  5. (idiomatic, intransitive)Of a machine or system, to come to a sudden halt, to stop working (functioning).

    Since the last update, the program freezes after a few minutes of use.

    einfrieren, stoppen, (plötzlich) anhalten

    ви́снутьvísnutʹ, зави́снутьzavísnutʹ, закли́ниватьzaklínivatʹ

  6. (idiomatic, intransitive)Of a person or other animal, to stop (become motionless) or be stopped due to attentiveness, fear, surprise, etc.

    Despite all of the rehearsals, I froze as soon as I got on stage.

  7. (transitive)To cause someone to become motionless.

    erstarren, einfrieren, (Maschine) einfrieren

    замира́тьzamirátʹ, замере́тьzamerétʹ, застыва́тьzastyvátʹ

    cause to freeze

  8. (figuratively)To lose or cause to lose warmth of feeling; to shut out; to ostracize.

    Over time, he froze towards her, and ceased to react to her friendly advances.

    frösteln, abkühlen

  9. To cause loss of animation or life in, from lack of heat; to give the sensation of cold to; to chill.

    erfrieren, ersterben

  10. (transitive)To prevent the movement or liquidation of a person's financial assets

    The court froze the criminal's bank account.

    (Transaktionen) blockieren

    замора́живатьzamoráživatʹ, заморо́зитьzamorózitʹ

    заморо́жуватиzamoróžuvaty, заморо́зитиzamorózyty

  11. Of prices, spending etc., to keep at the same level, without any increase.

  12. (ambitransitive)To prevent from showing any visible change.

    Pressing the pause button will freeze the video playback.

    Playback will freeze if you pause the video.

    change to ice

Examples

642 sentences

  1. We were nearly frozen to death.

    Ми мало не померли від холоду. — deniko

    deWir waren fast totgefroren. — kriskelvin

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  2. The meat is frozen.

    Це м'ясо заморожене. — deniko

    ruМясо заморожено. — marafon

    deDas Fleisch ist gefroren. — MUIRIEL

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  3. The lake was frozen.

    Озеро замерзло. — ChickenKiev

    ruОзеро замёрзло. — marafon

    deDer See war zugefroren. — Manfredo

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  4. Bring the frozen fish here.

    Принесіть заморожену рибу сюди. — ChickenKiev

    ruПринесите замороженную рыбу сюда. — shanghainese

    deBringen Sie den gefrorenen Fisch her! — Tamy

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

  5. Tom is going to freeze to death.

    Том околіє. — deniko

    deTom wird erfrieren. — frpzzd

    CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FR · A2Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 3
to become solid due to low temperature:
to lower something's temperature to freezing point:
of temperature, to drop below zero:
Русский
By meaning 6
to become solid due to low temperature:
to lower something's temperature to freezing point:
of temperature, to drop below zero:
to be affected by cold:
of machines and software: to come to a sudden halt:
to become motionless:
Deutsch
By meaning 9
to become solid due to low temperature:
to lower something's temperature to freezing point:
of temperature, to drop below zero:
of machines and software: to come to a sudden halt:
to become motionless:
to cause to become motionless:
to lose or cause to lose warmth of feeling:
to cause loss of animation or life in, from lack of heat:
to prevent movement of someone's financial assets:

Origin

From Middle English fresen, from Old English frēosan (“to freeze”), from Proto-West German

From Middle English fresen, from Old English frēosan (“to freeze”), from Proto-West Germanic *freusan, from Proto-Germanic *freusaną (“to freeze”), from Proto-Indo-European *prews- (“to freeze; frost”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

freezes, freezing, froze, frozen
Base formfreeze · to freeze
3rd person singularfreezes
Present participlefreezing
Past simplefroze
Past participlefrozen / froze

irregular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theyfreeze
he, she, itfreezes

Past simpleLesson

all personsfroze

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave frozen
he, she, ithas frozen

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill freeze

Phrasal verbs

4 phrasal verbs

Synonyms

15 synonyms
hangB1seizeB1solidifyfreeze upgrind to a haltlock upseize uphaltimmobilize
Close in meaning
  • prohibit the conversion or use of (assets):blockimmobilizeimmobilise
  • stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it:suspend
  • change from a liquid to a solid when cold:freeze outfreeze down
  • stop moving or become immobilized:stop dead

Antonyms

4 antonyms
defrostliquifyunfreeze
boil

Word family

52 related words
RelatedfrostC1frostyC1frorefrornfroryfreezingfreezer
Derivedadfreezeantifreezebefreezebrain freezecryofreezecryo-freezedeep-freezedeep freezedefreezeenfreezeflash-freezefreezablefreeze-aheadfreeze babyfreeze brandfreeze chestfreeze distillationfreeze-driedfreeze-dryfreeze-dryingfreeze-framefreeze framefreeze ontofreezeout

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

Collocations

6 patterns
  • froze to death
  • almost froze to
  • almost froze
  • going to freeze
  • to freeze to
  • was frozen to

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
freestylefreethinkerfreewayfreezerB1freezingB1freight

Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.

freeze — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto