freezing

1 of 2

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 2

noun

: the temperature at which water freezes

temperatures dipping below freezing

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

For even more dramatic alpine scenery, make the drive to Glacier National Park to hike beneath glaciers, spot rushing waterfalls fed by ancient ice fields, and brave a freezing cold plunge in an aquamarine glacier lake. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Travel + Leisure, 13 July 2026

If freezing temperatures are predicted, pick any ripe fruit and cover the trunks of young trees with burlap or newspaper to insulate them. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 4 July 2026

Noun

Frozen vegetables are largely safe from cyclospora because more commercial facilities wash and blanch (briefly dip in boiling water) them before they're packaged, but some items (like raspberries) can’t be blanched ahead of freezing. — Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Mordue said freezing also kills the parasite, so frozen fruits and vegetables are also safe. — Melina Khan, USA Today, 16 July 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