freezing

1 of 3

adjective

freez·​ing ˈfrē-ziŋ 

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

2

: 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

freezing

2 of 3

noun

: the temperature at which water freezes

temperatures dipping below freezing

freezing

3 of 3

present participle of freeze entry 1

Synonyms of freezing

Adjective

• cold
• icy
• frigid
• chilly
• chill
• cool

Examples of freezing in a Sentence

Adjective

why aren't you wearing a coat, as it's freezing outside?

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Panic set in as people scrambled for shore, some slipping into the freezing water, others leaping between breaking chunks of ice. — Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Since tropical hibiscus can’t survive freezing temperatures, they can be grown as annuals or overwinter indoors in cold regions. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026

Noun

Other liquids like engine coolant absorb extreme heat and also prevent corrosion or freezing in cold weather. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

Egg freezing is a process in which unfertilized egg cells are extracted, frozen and stored to preserve fertility, which has become more popular among women who want to have children later in life. — Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1777, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing freezing

• freezing point
• freezing rain

Rhymes for freezing

• easing
• pleasing
• seizing
• sneezing
• squeezing
• teasing
• wheezing
• appeasing
• displeasing