1
: very cold
"Put on your jacket. It's freezing outside!"
Addy rushed home through the darkening streets as if she were pushed along by the wind. She was freezing!—
Connie Porter
Connie Porter2
: being at or below the temperature at which water freezes
a forecast for freezing temperatures overnight
freezing
adverb
The weather was freezing cold. [=very cold]
freezingly
adverb
freezingly cold temperatures
Mrs. Reed's hands still lay on her work inactive: her eye of ice continued to dwell freezingly on mine.
—Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë
: the temperature at which water freezes
temperatures dipping below freezing
Synonyms
Examples of freezing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebIan Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
But now, those plants are at risk of damage during snowy and freezing temperatures.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
The Kremlin ultimately refused to put him on the Presidential ballot—a sign that it was rattled by images of people standing in the freezing cold to register their support for an alternative to Putin.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024
Even on a freezing day, the air still has thermal energy.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
Golf continued at Stalag Luft III, right up until January 1945, when the approaching Soviet army meant the remaining prisoners were forced on a freezing, brutal march to other POW camps.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Snow, freezing temperatures likely to continue their decline Climate change caused by both the burning of fossil fuels and urbanization are the primary drivers of these downward trends in snowfall and freezes.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Viewers have long debated if there was enough room on the floating door for Winslet’s Rose and DiCaprio’s Jack to both survive the freezing Atlantic waters.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024
The freezing fog advisory was originally expected to expire at noon Monday.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2024
Wendy Wisner, Health, 27 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Egg freezing is a challenging subject for comedy, and that leads Nellie through some tender and unpredictable terrain, though the ambiguities of her experience are ultimately smoothed over with an uplifting pop soundtrack.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The temperature hovered above freezing — nearly balmy by end-of-year Midwestern standards, when football games were often played on fields that had turned to viscous soup or had frozen solid as a sidewalk.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Despite temperatures dropping back down below freezing, most spring bulbs can tolerate a light freeze of lows in the 30s to upper 20s and do not need coverage, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture department.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Multiple embryos are typically frozen in case initial embryo transfers are unsuccessful, if the complex freezing and thawing process renders the embryos unsuitable for transfer, or if a patient desires more children in the future.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Here’s how the freezer might impact food, as well as safety tips for freezing, defrosting, and reheating foods.
—Michelle Pugle, Health, 12 Jan. 2024
With low temperatures expected to dip just below freezing but highs in the 40s, next Wednesday might see a rain-snow mix, Anderson said.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
Adjective
By 2040, the area may see 14 fewer freezing nights per winter compared with now, according to data from the Climate Impact Lab, a nonprofit that aims to measure and communicate the impacts of climate change.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
But now, those plants are at risk of damage during snowy and freezing temperatures.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
The Kremlin ultimately refused to put him on the Presidential ballot—a sign that it was rattled by images of people standing in the freezing cold to register their support for an alternative to Putin.
—Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024
Even on a freezing day, the air still has thermal energy.
—Rhett Allain, WIRED, 10 Mar. 2024
Golf continued at Stalag Luft III, right up until January 1945, when the approaching Soviet army meant the remaining prisoners were forced on a freezing, brutal march to other POW camps.
—Jack Bantock, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024
Snow, freezing temperatures likely to continue their decline Climate change caused by both the burning of fossil fuels and urbanization are the primary drivers of these downward trends in snowfall and freezes.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Viewers have long debated if there was enough room on the floating door for Winslet’s Rose and DiCaprio’s Jack to both survive the freezing Atlantic waters.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Feb. 2024
The freezing fog advisory was originally expected to expire at noon Monday.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 5 Feb. 2024
Noun
Cryopreservation and Genetic Testing Cryopreservation, or freezing, of eggs in your 20s or 30s can help increase your chances of getting pregnant at 40.
—Wendy Wisner, Health, 27 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Egg freezing is a challenging subject for comedy, and that leads Nellie through some tender and unpredictable terrain, though the ambiguities of her experience are ultimately smoothed over with an uplifting pop soundtrack.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The temperature hovered above freezing — nearly balmy by end-of-year Midwestern standards, when football games were often played on fields that had turned to viscous soup or had frozen solid as a sidewalk.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Despite temperatures dropping back down below freezing, most spring bulbs can tolerate a light freeze of lows in the 30s to upper 20s and do not need coverage, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture department.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Multiple embryos are typically frozen in case initial embryo transfers are unsuccessful, if the complex freezing and thawing process renders the embryos unsuitable for transfer, or if a patient desires more children in the future.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Here’s how the freezer might impact food, as well as safety tips for freezing, defrosting, and reheating foods.
—Michelle Pugle, Health, 12 Jan. 2024
With low temperatures expected to dip just below freezing but highs in the 40s, next Wednesday might see a rain-snow mix, Anderson said.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freezing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing freezing
Dictionary Entries Near freezing
Cite this Entry
“Freezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freezing. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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Nglish: Translation of freezing for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of freezing for Arabic Speakers
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