freeze out

verb

froze out; frozen out; freezing out; freezes out

transitive verb

: exclude

freeze-out

ˈfrēz-ˌau̇t 

noun

Synonyms

• ban
• bar
• close out
• count (out)
• debar
• eliminate
• except
• exclude
• rule out
• shut out

Examples of freeze out in a Sentence

a housing market that effectively freezes out people of moderate means

Recent Examples on the Web

But additional cost-saving changes could get frozen out. —Ben Christopher, Mercury News, 16 May 2025

Vestergaard, frozen out during the relegation season under Brendan Rodgers, received his contract extension on Maresca’s request just before the Italian left. —Rob Tanner, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2025

The Lamine Yamal of his era who shattered a number of youngest goalscorer and apperance maker records at the turn of the decade, and was compared to his fellow La Masia graduate Lionel Messi to the extent of inheriting his number 10 shirt in 2021, Fati is currently frozen out in Montjuic. —Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025

Paul Mullin, under contract until 2027, is another whose future remains uncertain after also being frozen out these past couple of months. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 9 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for freeze out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Legal Definition

freezeout

1 of 2 noun

freeze·​out

ˈfrēz-ˌau̇t

: a corporate action (as a merger) taken by those in control of the corporation (as controlling shareholders or the board of directors) for the purpose of causing the minority shareholders to lose their equity in the corporation (as by the sale of their shares) compare squeezeout

freeze out

2 of 2 transitive verb

: to subject to a freezeout