flash freeze

1 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly flash-freeze

ˈflash-ˈfrēz

flash froze also flash-froze ˈflash-ˈfrōz

; flash frozen also flash-frozen ˈflash-ˈfrō-zᵊn

; flash freezing also flash-freezing; flash freezes also flash-freezes

transitive verb

: to freeze rapidly

The physician then inserts a specialized catheter through the endoscope, selects the targeted area and sprays liquid nitrogen to flash freeze the tissue.—

Business Wire

especially : to freeze something (such as food) quickly to minimize the formation of ice crystals

Large catcher-processor vessels that flash freeze shrimp whole … account for the majority of the shrimp catch in Alaska. —

Santi Roberts

The farm stand offers its own produce … ; … flash-frozen wild salmon; local ice cream; and a variety of locally made dressings, honey and condiments. —

Maureen Sullivan

flash freeze

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly flash-freeze

plural flash freezes also flash-freezes

: a rapid drop in atmospheric temperature to below the freezing point causing water on the ground to quickly become ice

Temperatures were expected to plummet on Thursday morning leading to a flash freeze.—

Robert Pore

It occurs when there's a rapid drop in temperatures causing a quick freeze of water already on the ground from rain or melted snow. A flash freeze is different from freezing rain, said Becky Kern, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Valley.—

Michael O'Connor

Examples of flash freeze in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The garage will soon house Faith Farms’ new flash freeze operation with food aimed at Northwest Indiana’s commercial market to provide financial sustainability for the 10-year-old urban farm at 656 Carolina St., about one block south. —

Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2023 All fish is deboned and flash frozen immediately after processing, according to the company. —

goodhousekeeping.com, 18 Apr. 2023

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