brain freeze

noun

: a sudden shooting pain in the head caused by ingesting very cold food (such as ice cream) or drink

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Baltimore had a brain freeze. Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, 12 Nov. 2021 The Major League Eating speed-eating record for guzzling a 22-ounce Slurpee at 7-Eleven is 9 seconds, held by Patrick Bertoletti, who immediately thereafter suffered sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia, more commonly called brain freeze or an ice cream headache. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2022 Colder than a brain freeze. Lacey Vorrasi-banis, EW.com, 22 June 2021 Experiencing brain freeze? Corinne Sullivan, Woman's Day, 11 Dec. 2020 The Times’ Lucas Kwan Peterson tried a brain freeze-inducing 45 drinks to complete the ultimate ranking. Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2023 Jorge Serrador , who carried out the research, speculates that brain freeze is a self-defense mechanism for the brain. Sarah Zhang, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2012 But all this came back to mind over the past few days, after Rick Perry's famous brain freeze during the recent debate. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2011 Ira, that must’ve been a pretty bad brain freeze for you on that trip. Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brain freeze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brain freeze was in 1991

Dictionary Entries Near brain freeze

Cite this Entry

“Brain freeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain%20freeze. Accessed 9 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

brain freeze

noun
: a sudden sharp pain in the head caused by eating or drinking something very cold
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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