freeze

Noun

• fixing (of prices or wages etc) at a particular level
  • a freeze on hiring
    

• an interruption or temporary suspension of progress or movement
  • a halt in the arms race
    
  • a nuclear freeze
    

• weather cold enough to cause freezing

• the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to a solid

Verb

• suddenly behave coldly and formally
  • She froze when she saw her ex-husband
    

• anesthetize by cold

• prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)
  • Blocked funds
    
  • Freeze the assets of this hostile government
    

• change from a liquid to a solid when cold
  • Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit
    

• be very cold, below the freezing point
  • It is freezing in Kalamazoo
    

• stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it
  • Suspend the aid to the war-torn country
    

• cause to freeze
  • Freeze the leftover food
    

• be cold
  • I could freeze to death in this office when the air conditioning is turned on
    

• change to ice
  • The water in the bowl froze
    

• stop moving or become immobilized
  • When he saw the police car he froze
    

Related words

• Synonyms: 
  halt , frost , freezing , block , immobilize , immobilise , freeze out , freeze down , suspend , stop dead
• Antonyms: 
  unblock , unfreeze , free , release , boil