Definition

1. Noun:

   • A fixing at a particular level: An official act of holding prices, wages, or other financial factors at a current level, preventing any increase.
   • An interruption or temporary suspension: A halt in progress, movement, or activity.
   • Weather cold enough to cause freezing: A period of, or conditions involving, temperatures at or below the freezing point of water (0°C or 32°F).

2. Verb (intransitive and transitive):

   • To change from a liquid to a solid due to cold: To become or cause to become ice or a solid, hard mass.
   • To be or become very cold: To reach a temperature at or below the freezing point; to feel extremely cold.
   • To stop moving or become immobilized: To suddenly stop all movement, often due to fear, shock, or surprise.
   • To behave suddenly in a cold and formal way: To become emotionally distant or unresponsive.
   • To preserve by extreme cold: To store food or other items at a very low temperature to prevent decay.
   • To prohibit the use or conversion of assets: To make financial assets temporarily unavailable by legal or official order.
   • To stop a process or activity officially: To bring something to a halt, often by authoritative decision.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The government announced a freeze on all public sector salaries.
  • A sudden freeze in diplomatic talks has stalled the peace process.
  • The early freeze damaged the orange crop.

• Verb:

  • Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • I freeze every time I have to give a speech.
  • Please freeze the leftover soup for later.
  • The bank account was frozen by the court.
  • She froze when she heard the strange noise in the dark.

Advanced Usage

• "to freeze up": To become unable to speak, act, or function normally due to nervousness, fear, or extreme cold.

  • My computer froze up and I lost all my work.
  • He froze up during the interview and couldn't answer the questions.

• "freeze-frame": A single, motionless frame from a film or video, often used for analysis or dramatic effect. (Note: This is a compound noun/verb, listed here as a related concept).

  • The director used a freeze-frame to end the movie.

Variants and Related Words

• Freezer (n): An appliance or compartment for freezing and storing food.
• Freezing (adj/adv): Extremely cold; at a temperature that causes freezing.
  • It's freezing outside today.
• Frozen (adj): Turned into or covered with ice; preserved by freezing; immobilized.
  • The lake is frozen.
  • We ate frozen vegetables.

Synonyms

• Noun (for a halt): Suspension, stoppage, halt, embargo.
• Verb (to solidify): Solidify, harden, ice over.
• Verb (to stop moving): Immobilize, paralyze, stop dead.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Freeze out: To exclude someone from a group or activity intentionally.
  • The other kids tried to freeze him out of the game.
• Freeze over: To become covered with a layer of ice.
  • The pond froze over during the cold night.

Related Idioms

• Freeze one's blood / Make one's blood freeze: To cause someone to feel extreme terror or horror.
  • The scream in the night froze my blood.
• (Until) hell freezes over: For an extremely long time, forever (used to emphasize that something will never happen).
  • He can wait until hell freezes over for an apology from me.

Noun

1. fixing (of prices or wages etc) at a particular level
   • a freeze on hiring
2. an interruption or temporary suspension of progress or movement
   • a halt in the arms race
   • a nuclear freeze
3. weather cold enough to cause freezing
4. the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to a solid

Verb

1. suddenly behave coldly and formally
   • She froze when she saw her ex-husband
2. anesthetize by cold
3. prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)
   • Blocked funds
   • Freeze the assets of this hostile government
4. change from a liquid to a solid when cold
   • Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit
5. be very cold, below the freezing point
   • It is freezing in Kalamazoo
6. stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it
   • Suspend the aid to the war-torn country
7. cause to freeze
   • Freeze the leftover food
8. be cold
   • I could freeze to death in this office when the air conditioning is turned on
9. change to ice
   • The water in the bowl froze
10. stop moving or become immobilized
    • When he saw the police car he froze