freezing

1 of 2

adjective

freez·​ing ˈfrē-ziŋ How to pronounce freezing (audio)
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

Examples of freezing in a Sentence

Adjective why aren't you wearing a coat, as it's freezing outside?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The prosecution, led by special prosecutor Hank Brennan, presented an alternate version of events, saying that Read deliberately reversed into O'Keefe and left him to die in freezing temperatures. Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025 Planting the lily outdoors too early could lead to damage from freezing temperatures. Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
Instead, the government-wide effort to slash jobs and the freezing of work related to climate change seems to have combined to push employees out the door. Camila Domonoske, NPR, 1 May 2025 Those efforts have included the freezing of foreign aid spending and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Irineo Cabreros, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for freezing

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun

1777, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of freezing was circa 1616

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Cite this Entry

“Freezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freezing. Accessed 7 May. 2025.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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