freeze-frame
noun
plural freeze-frames
1
a
: a frame of a motion-picture film that is repeated so as to give the illusion of a static picture
b
: a static picture produced from a video recording
On one of the desktop monitors is a freeze-frame from Little Women, Gerwig's new film …—
Chloe Malle
Chloe Mallea freeze-frame image
2
: something resembling a freeze-frame (as in reflecting or preserving a particular moment in time)
We should acknowledge that these pandemic curves are only freeze-frames of a situation still very much in flux …—Francesca Melandri
Francesca Melandri
freeze-frame
transitive verb
freeze-framed; freeze-framing; freeze-frames
… I freeze-framed a scene in the promo for Monday's show and compared it to online photos of the hotel …
—Debra Yeo
Debra Yeo
Examples of freeze-frame in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This slow zoom in on the freeze-frame reminded me of ’70s movies a little bit.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
Literature that doesn’t contain its own version of this deal—literature that tries to freeze-frame reality instead of transmuting it—is often boring, even alienating.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025
Isla delivers much of this information in the pilot via a sunny voiceover, punctuated by freeze-frame introductions of characters featuring their name and job title scrawled on the screen in meticulously messy yellow text.
—EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
And the final shot — a freeze-frame of Nancy turning herself in, as her family left her behind — was profound enough to mark the show's conclusion.
—EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Achieving screen accuracy required exhaustive research—pouring over forums, studying freeze-frames of the movie, and analyzing every detail.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
Ibrahim attended a retrospective on the UK artist Cornelia Parker and saw the famous 1991 installation Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View — essentially a freeze-frame of a garden shed at the moment of its obliteration.
—Lewis Gordon, The Verge, 9 Dec. 2024
Zombieland was super-inventive for its time, with dynamic text, freeze-frame comedic asides, and Bill Murray cameos before all those things got old.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Every character receives a freeze-frame as they’re introduced, followed by their name being superimposed beside them.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024
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Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Mar. 2025
Literature that doesn’t contain its own version of this deal—literature that tries to freeze-frame reality instead of transmuting it—is often boring, even alienating.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2025
Isla delivers much of this information in the pilot via a sunny voiceover, punctuated by freeze-frame introductions of characters featuring their name and job title scrawled on the screen in meticulously messy yellow text.
—EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
And the final shot — a freeze-frame of Nancy turning herself in, as her family left her behind — was profound enough to mark the show's conclusion.
—EW.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Achieving screen accuracy required exhaustive research—pouring over forums, studying freeze-frames of the movie, and analyzing every detail.
—Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 9 Jan. 2025
Ibrahim attended a retrospective on the UK artist Cornelia Parker and saw the famous 1991 installation Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View — essentially a freeze-frame of a garden shed at the moment of its obliteration.
—Lewis Gordon, The Verge, 9 Dec. 2024
Zombieland was super-inventive for its time, with dynamic text, freeze-frame comedic asides, and Bill Murray cameos before all those things got old.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
Every character receives a freeze-frame as they’re introduced, followed by their name being superimposed beside them.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Freeze-frame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze-frame. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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