- freeze
- [[t]fri͟ːz[/t]]
♦♦♦1) V-ERG If a liquid or a substance containing a liquid freezes, or if something freezes it, it becomes solid because of low temperatures.
If the temperature drops below 0°C, water freezes...
[V adj] The ground froze solid.
[V n] ...the discovery of how to freeze water at higher temperatures.
[V-ed] ...frozen puddles. [Also V n adj]
2) V-ERG If you freeze something such as food, you preserve it by storing it at a temperature below freezing point. You can also talk about how well food freezes.[V n] You can freeze the soup at this stage...
[V adv] Most fresh herbs will freeze successfully.
3) VERB If something such as a pipe or machine freezes, it becomes blocked or stiff with ice or frozen liquid.The water pipes will freeze.
4) VERB When it freezes outside, the temperature falls below freezing point.[it V] What if it rained and then froze all through those months?
N-COUNTFreeze is also a noun.The trees were damaged by a freeze in December.
5) VERB If you freeze, you feel extremely cold.The windows didn't fit at the bottom so for a while we froze even in the middle of summer...
Your hands will freeze doing this.
6) VERB If someone who is moving freezes, they suddenly stop and become completely still and quiet. [WRITTEN]She froze when the beam of the flashlight struck her.
7) VERB If the government or a company freeze things such as prices or wages, they state officially that they will not allow them to increase for a fixed period of time.[V n] They want the government to freeze prices...
[V n] Wages have been frozen and workers laid off.
N-COUNT: with suppFreeze is also a noun.A wage freeze was imposed on all staff earlier this month. ...a freeze on the prices of consumer goods.
8) VERB If a government freezes a plan or process, they state officially that they will not allow it to continue for a period of time.[V n] Britain has already frozen its aid programme...
[V n] Diplomatic relations were frozen until August this year.
N-COUNT: with suppFreeze is also a noun....a freeze in nuclear weapons programs.
9) VERB If someone in authority freezes something such as a bank account, fund, or property, they obtain a legal order which states that it cannot be used or sold for a particular period of time.[V n] The governor's action freezes 300,000 accounts...
[V n] Under these laws, he said, Mr. Rice's assets could have been frozen.
N-COUNT: with suppFreeze is also a noun....a freeze on private savings.
10) → See also , frozenPhrasal Verbs:
English dictionary. 2008.
