freezing rain

noun

: rain that freezes upon contact with a surface (such as the ground)

But to Healy's surprise, a glaze of freezing rain began to appear on the windshield.

—Jon Vara

This also explains why the stuff we call freezing rain … falls as a liquid but then turns to a sheet of ice when it strikes the pavement or a tree branch.

—Frederick K. Lutgens et al.

compare hail entry 1, sleet entry 1, snow entry 1

Examples of freezing rain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Even Hawaii’s Big Island summits are under a Winter Weather Advisory, with up to five inches of snow and freezing rain forecast overnight into Sunday morning. —Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025

When traveling during snow or freezing rain, prioritize safety by slowing down. —Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 12 Oct. 2025

The record’s cold and bleak, but also a wonderland of sci-fi vision and comic book mysticism, B-boy tears in freezing rain. —Pitchfork, 30 Sep. 2025

Northern Texas could get snow and freezing rain in mid-January and snow again in mid-February and mid-March, according to the Almanac. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1672, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for freezing rain

• aeroplane
• appertain
• ascertain
• capitaine
• cassegrain
• cellophane
• chatelaine
• counterpane
• entertain
• gethsemane
• halothane
• hurricane

Kids Definition

freezing rain

noun

: rain that freezes upon contact with a surface (as the ground)