# freeze

/ˈfɹiz/ (US) · /fɹˈiːz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/freeze
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. to turn into ice

verb · CEFR A2

to become solid because of very cold temperatures.

For teachers: to undergo a phase change from liquid to solid due to the reduction of temperature below a freezing point.

- The lake will freeze over if the temperature stays below zero all week.
- Water pipes in older buildings are prone to bursting when the water inside begins to freeze and expand during a cold snap.

### 2. to stop moving

verb · CEFR B1

to suddenly stop moving because you are scared or surprised.

For teachers: to become suddenly motionless, typically as a physiological response to fear, shock, or a need for concealment.

- The deer heard a loud noise and froze in the middle of the road.
- When the witness saw the intruder, she froze in terror, unable to reach for the phone or call for help.

### 3. computer/system

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to stop working or stop responding to your mouse and keyboard.

For teachers: of a computer program or hardware system, to cease responding to user input or to stop processing instructions.

- My laptop always seems to freeze when I try to open too many tabs.
- The application would frequently freeze during the rendering process, forcing the designers to restart the entire workstation.

### 4. to fix prices or assets

verb · CEFR B2 · Formal

to officially stop something from changing, like prices or access to money.

For teachers: to fix prices, wages, or credits at a specific level; or to legally prevent the movement or withdrawal of financial assets.

- The government decided to freeze electricity prices for the rest of the year.
- The court ordered the bank to freeze the suspect's accounts while the fraud investigation was ongoing.

### 5. cold weather

noun · CEFR B1

a period of time when the weather is extremely cold.

For teachers: a period of weather with temperatures below the freezing point of water.

- The sudden freeze in April killed many of the young plants in the garden.
- Meteorologists warned that the overnight freeze would create hazardous driving conditions on untreated rural roads.

### 6. a stop on hiring or pay

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic

an official rule that stops a company from hiring new people or raising pay.

For teachers: an administrative policy that prohibits increases in wages or the recruitment of new staff for a specific period.

- The company announced a hiring freeze because they needed to save money.
- Despite the budget surplus, the university maintained a strict recruitment freeze across all administrative departments.

## Examples

- The company announced a hiring freeze until next year.
- The government implemented a price freeze on essential goods to combat the sudden rise in inflation.
- Following the security breach, the bank placed an immediate freeze on all outgoing international transfers to prevent further unauthorized withdrawals from customer accounts.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.