freeze

If a liquid becomes cold enough, it turns solid; you can also make this happen by cooling it.

• Water freezes when it gets cold enough.
• The pond froze overnight.
• Freeze some water to make ice cubes.

How to use it: freeze into something (The water froze into a solid block.)

Similar words: turn to ice, solidify

Opposites: melt, thaw

Common phrases: freeze solid, freeze water, freeze into ice

If you do this, you feel extremely cold.

• I'm freezing without my coat.
• We froze while we waited for the bus.
• You'll freeze if you go outside like that.

Similar words: feel very cold

Common phrases: freeze outside, freeze to death

If the weather does this, the temperature falls below zero degrees Celsius.

• It will freeze tonight.
• It froze every night last week.
• Did it freeze while you were away?

How to use it: it freezes (It often freezes here in January.)

Common phrases: freeze overnight, freeze tonight

To make someone stop moving suddenly, often because they are frightened or shocked.

• Fear froze him.
• The guard's shout froze everyone in place.
• That unexpected sound froze her to the spot.

How to use it: freeze someone to the spot (The sudden scream froze her to the spot.)

Similar words: paralyze, immobilize

Common phrases: freeze someone, freeze someone still

A period of very cold weather when water turns to ice.

• A hard freeze damaged the plants.
• The freeze lasted for three days.
• Will our pipes survive another freeze?

Similar words: cold spell

Common phrases: hard freeze, deep freeze, winter freeze

An order or decision that temporarily stops an activity or prevents changes.

• The government announced a spending freeze.
• A freeze on building delayed our new home.
• When will the bank lift the freeze?

How to use it: a freeze on something (The council announced a freeze on new construction.)

Similar words: suspension, halt, moratorium

Common phrases: temporary freeze, spending freeze, freeze on something

A temporary rule preventing pay increases or the employment of new staff.

• The company announced a pay freeze.
• A hiring freeze left several jobs empty.
• Workers opposed the freeze on wages.

How to use it: a freeze on pay/hiring (The company imposed a freeze on hiring.)

Common phrases: pay freeze, hiring freeze, salary freeze, recruitment freeze

A state in which a computer or program stops responding to what you do.

• A system freeze stopped my work.
• Restarting the computer fixed the freeze.
• Frequent freezes made the program difficult to use.

Similar words: hang, lockup

Common phrases: system freeze, computer freeze, screen freeze