ALL meanings of freeze
freeze
F f - verb without object freeze to become hardened into ice or into a solid body; change from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat. 1
- verb without object freeze to become hard or stiffened because of loss of heat, as objects containing moisture: Meat will freeze in a few hours. 1
- verb without object freeze to suffer the effects of intense cold; have the sensation of extreme cold: We sat there freezing until the heat came on. 1
- verb without object freeze to be of the degree of cold at which water freezes: It may freeze tonight. 1
- verb without object freeze to lose warmth of feeling; be stunned or chilled with fear, shock, etc.: My heart froze when she told me the news. 1
- verb without object freeze to become immobilized through fear, shock, etc.: When he got in front of the audience he froze. 1
- verb without object freeze to stop suddenly and remain motionless; halt: I froze in my tracks. 1
- verb without object freeze to become obstructed by the formation of ice, as pipes: Our basement water pipes often freeze in winter. 1
- verb without object freeze to die or be injured because of frost or cold. 1
- verb without object freeze (of a screw, nail, or the like) to become rigidly fixed in place, as from rust or dirt. 1
- verb without object freeze to become fixed to something by or as if by the action of frost. 1
- verb without object freeze to become unfriendly, secretive, or aloof (often followed by up): He froze at such a personal question. 1
- verb without object freeze to become temporarily inoperable; cease to function (often followed by up): The new software made my computer freeze. 1
- verb with object freeze to harden into ice; change from a fluid to a solid form by loss of heat; congeal. 1
- verb with object freeze to form ice on the surface of (a river, pond, etc.). 1
- verb with object freeze to harden or stiffen (an object containing moisture) by cold. 1
- verb with object freeze to quick-freeze. 1
- verb with object freeze to subject to freezing temperature; place in a freezer or in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator. 1
- verb with object freeze to cause to suffer the effects of intense cold; produce the sensation of extreme cold in. 1
- verb with object freeze to cause to lose warmth as if by cold; chill with fear; dampen the enthusiasm of. 1
- verb with object freeze to cause (a person or animal) to become fixed through fright, alarm, shock, etc.: Terror froze him to the steering wheel. 1
- verb with object freeze to kill by frost or cold: A late snow froze the buds. 1
- verb with object freeze to fix fast with ice: a sled frozen to a sidewalk. 1
- verb with object freeze to obstruct or close (a pipe or the like) by the formation of ice: The storm had frozen the hydrant. 1
- verb with object freeze to fix (rents, prices, etc.) at a specific amount, usually by government order. 1
- verb with object freeze to stop or limit production, use, or development of: an agreement to freeze nuclear weapons. 1
- verb with object freeze Finance. to render impossible of liquidation or collection: Bank loans are frozen in business depressions. 1
- verb with object freeze Surgery. to render part of the body insensitive to pain or slower in its function by artificial means. 1
- verb with object freeze Cards. Canasta. to play a wild card on (the discard pile) so as to make it frozen. Poker. to eliminate (other players) in a game of freezeout. 1
- verb with object freeze to photograph (a moving subject) at a shutter speed fast enough to produce an unblurred, seemingly motionless image. 1
- verb with object freeze Movies. to stop by means of a freeze-frame mechanism: You can freeze the action at any point. 1
- verb with object freeze Sports. to maintain possession of (a ball or puck) for as long as possible, usually without trying to score, thereby reducing the opponent's opportunities for scoring. 1
- verb with object freeze Ice Hockey. to hold (a puck) against the boards with the skates or stick, causing play to stop and forcing a face-off. 1
- noun freeze the act of freezing; state of being frozen. 1
- noun freeze Also called ice-up. Meteorology. a widespread occurrence of temperatures below 32°F (0°C) persisting for at least several days: A freeze is expected in the coastal areas. 1
- noun freeze a frost. 1
- noun freeze a legislative action, especially in time of national emergency, to control prices, rents, production, etc.: The government put a freeze on new construction. 1
- noun freeze a decision by one or more nations to stop or limit production or development of weapons, especially nuclear weapons. 1
- noun Technical meaning of freeze To lock an evolving software distribution or document against changes so it can be released with some hope of stability. Carries the strong implication that the item in question will "unfreeze" at some future date. There are more specific constructions on this term. A "feature freeze", for example, locks out modifications intended to introduce new features but still allows bugfixes and completion of existing features; a "code freeze" connotes no more changes at all. At Sun Microsystems and elsewhere, one may also hear references to "code slush" - that is, an almost-but-not-quite frozen state. 1
- noun freeze (of a liquid) be turned into ice or another solid as a result of extreme cold. 1
- transitive verb freeze turn sthg solid 1
- intransitive verb freeze turn to ice 1
- intransitive verb freeze person: get very cold 1
- noun freeze halt, stop 1
- intransitive verb freeze computer 1
- intransitive verb freeze turn solid 1
- transitive verb freeze spending, hiring 1
- transitive verb freeze preserve 1
- transitive verb freeze prevent change 1
- noun freeze A period of intensely cold weather. 0