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
Connie Porter2
: 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
Charlotte Brontë
: the temperature at which water freezes
temperatures dipping below freezing
Synonyms
Examples of freezing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebKylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
They are found in every ocean, from the freezing Arctic and Antarctic regions to temperate and even tropical waters.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Temperatures at elevations as low as 3,000 feet could reach freezing levels by late Thursday and Friday across the Southland — the lowest elevation for snow seen this winter and spring season, said Rich Thompson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Deep below the freezing waves of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Iceland, small white sponges stand out in sharp contrast from the dark sea floor.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
When a freezing winter storm in 2021 led to power outages of Texas’ independent but still centralized grid, there were over 240 deaths.
—Eric MacK, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
And at Dulles International Airport, the mercury did fall in the morning to the freezing mark of 32.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Arizona is known for its mellow wintertime weather appealing to snowbirds seeking a reprieve from freezing conditions.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Yellowknife, Canada Love the idea of the northern ;ights, but not so into the freezing cold?
—Paul Rubio, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2024
Wendy Wisner, Health, 27 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Egg freezing is a challenging subject for comedy, and that leads Nellie through some tender and unpredictable terrain, though the ambiguities of her experience are ultimately smoothed over with an uplifting pop soundtrack.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The temperature hovered above freezing — nearly balmy by end-of-year Midwestern standards, when football games were often played on fields that had turned to viscous soup or had frozen solid as a sidewalk.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Despite temperatures dropping back down below freezing, most spring bulbs can tolerate a light freeze of lows in the 30s to upper 20s and do not need coverage, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture department.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Multiple embryos are typically frozen in case initial embryo transfers are unsuccessful, if the complex freezing and thawing process renders the embryos unsuitable for transfer, or if a patient desires more children in the future.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Here’s how the freezer might impact food, as well as safety tips for freezing, defrosting, and reheating foods.
—Michelle Pugle, Health, 12 Jan. 2024
With low temperatures expected to dip just below freezing but highs in the 40s, next Wednesday might see a rain-snow mix, Anderson said.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
Adjective
On Saturday, more than 250 people lined up along the sidewalk waiting for Dearborn Music's doors to open, sitting in foldable lawn chairs and wrapped in thick blankets with hot beverages in hand to warm their freezing fingers in the early-morning upper-30s temperatures.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2024
They are found in every ocean, from the freezing Arctic and Antarctic regions to temperate and even tropical waters.
—Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Temperatures at elevations as low as 3,000 feet could reach freezing levels by late Thursday and Friday across the Southland — the lowest elevation for snow seen this winter and spring season, said Rich Thompson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Deep below the freezing waves of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Iceland, small white sponges stand out in sharp contrast from the dark sea floor.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2024
When a freezing winter storm in 2021 led to power outages of Texas’ independent but still centralized grid, there were over 240 deaths.
—Eric MacK, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
And at Dulles International Airport, the mercury did fall in the morning to the freezing mark of 32.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 25 Mar. 2024
Arizona is known for its mellow wintertime weather appealing to snowbirds seeking a reprieve from freezing conditions.
—Eshaan Sarup, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Yellowknife, Canada Love the idea of the northern ;ights, but not so into the freezing cold?
—Paul Rubio, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
Cryopreservation and Genetic Testing Cryopreservation, or freezing, of eggs in your 20s or 30s can help increase your chances of getting pregnant at 40.
—Wendy Wisner, Health, 27 Mar. 2024
No one likes dealing with lag, buffering, or app freezing.
—Dua Rashid / Gizmodo, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2024
Egg freezing is a challenging subject for comedy, and that leads Nellie through some tender and unpredictable terrain, though the ambiguities of her experience are ultimately smoothed over with an uplifting pop soundtrack.
—Amanda Hess, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024
The temperature hovered above freezing — nearly balmy by end-of-year Midwestern standards, when football games were often played on fields that had turned to viscous soup or had frozen solid as a sidewalk.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Despite temperatures dropping back down below freezing, most spring bulbs can tolerate a light freeze of lows in the 30s to upper 20s and do not need coverage, according to University of Wisconsin-Madison Horticulture department.
—Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 21 Mar. 2024
Multiple embryos are typically frozen in case initial embryo transfers are unsuccessful, if the complex freezing and thawing process renders the embryos unsuitable for transfer, or if a patient desires more children in the future.
—Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024
Here’s how the freezer might impact food, as well as safety tips for freezing, defrosting, and reheating foods.
—Michelle Pugle, Health, 12 Jan. 2024
With low temperatures expected to dip just below freezing but highs in the 40s, next Wednesday might see a rain-snow mix, Anderson said.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'freezing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near freezing
Cite this Entry
“Freezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freezing. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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