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freeze over

 - 7 dictionary results

freeze

  [freez] verb, froze, fro⋅zen, freez⋅ing, noun
Use freeze over in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to become hardened into ice or into a solid body; change from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat.
2. to become hard or stiffened because of loss of heat, as objects containing moisture: Meat will freeze in a few hours.
3. to suffer the effects of intense cold; have the sensation of extreme cold: We sat there freezing until the heat came on.
4. to be of the degree of cold at which water freezes: It may freeze tonight.
5. to lose warmth of feeling; be stunned or chilled with fear, shock, etc.: My heart froze when she told me the news.
6. to become immobilized through fear, shock, etc.: When he got in front of the audience he froze.
7. to stop suddenly and remain motionless; halt: I froze in my tracks.
8. to become obstructed by the formation of ice, as pipes: Our basement water pipes often freeze in winter.
9. to die or be injured because of frost or cold.
10. (of a screw, nail, or the like) to become rigidly fixed in place, as from rust or dirt.
11. to become fixed to something by or as if by the action of frost.
12. to become unfriendly, secretive, or aloof (often fol. by up): He froze at such a personal question.
13. to become temporarily inoperable; cease to function (often fol. by up): The new software made my computer freeze.
–verb (used with object)
14. to harden into ice; change from a fluid to a solid form by loss of heat; congeal.
15. to form ice on the surface of (a river, pond, etc.).
16. to harden or stiffen (an object containing moisture) by cold.
17. to quick-freeze.
18. to subject to freezing temperature; place in a freezer or in the freezing compartment of a refrigerator.
19. to cause to suffer the effects of intense cold; produce the sensation of extreme cold in.
20. to cause to lose warmth as if by cold; chill with fear; dampen the enthusiasm of.
21. to cause (a person or animal) to become fixed through fright, alarm, shock, etc.: Terror froze him to the steering wheel.
22. to kill by frost or cold: A late snow froze the buds.
23. to fix fast with ice: a sled frozen to a sidewalk.
24. to obstruct or close (a pipe or the like) by the formation of ice: The storm had frozen the hydrant.
25. to fix (rents, prices, etc.) at a specific amount, usually by government order.
26. to stop or limit production, use, or development of: an agreement to freeze nuclear weapons.
27. Finance. to render impossible of liquidation or collection: Bank loans are frozen in business depressions.
28. Surgery. to render part of the body insensitive to pain or slower in its function by artificial means.
29. Cards.
a. Canasta. to play a wild card on (the discard pile) so as to make it frozen.
b. Poker. to eliminate (other players) in a game of freezeout.
30. to photograph (a moving subject) at a shutter speed fast enough to produce an unblurred, seemingly motionless image.
31. Movies. to stop by means of a freeze-frame mechanism: You can freeze the action at any point.
32. 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.
33. Ice Hockey. to hold (a puck) against the boards with the skates or stick, causing play to stop and forcing a face-off.
–noun
34. the act of freezing; state of being frozen.
35. 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.
36. a frost.
37. a legislative action, esp. in time of national emergency, to control prices, rents, production, etc.: The government put a freeze on new construction.
38. a decision by one or more nations to stop or limit production or development of weapons, esp. nuclear weapons.
—Verb phrases
39. freeze on or onto, Informal. to adhere closely to; hold on; seize.
40. freeze out, to exclude or compel (somebody) to withdraw from membership, acceptance, a position of influence or advantage, etc., by cold treatment or severe competition.
41. freeze over, to coat or become coated with ice: The lake freezes over for several months each year.
Origin:
bef. 1000; (v.) ME fresen, OE frēosan; c. MLG vrēsen, ON frjōsa, OHG friosan (G frieren); (n.) late ME frese, deriv. of the v.

Related forms:
freez⋅a⋅ble, adjective
freez⋅a⋅bil⋅i⋅ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Slang Dictionary
freeze (so)

  1. tv.
    to make it too cold for someone, usually by opening windows or through the use of air conditioning. (See also play freeze-out.) : Are you trying to freeze out everybody? Close the door.
  2. tv.
    to lock someone out socially. : They froze out the newcomers.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

freeze 
O.E. freosan "turn to ice" (class II strong verb; past tense freas, pp. froren), from P.Gmc. *freusanan (cf. O.N. frjosa, O.H.G. friosan, Ger. frieren "to freeze," Goth. frius "frost"), from P.Gmc. *freus-, equivalent to PIE base *preus- "to freeze," also "to burn" (cf. Skt. prusva, L. pruina "hoarfrost," Welsh rhew "frost," Skt. prustah "burnt," Albanian prus "burning coals," L. pruna "a live coal"). Transitive sense first recorded 14c., figurative sense c.1400. Meaning "become rigid or motionless" first recorded 1848, in "Jane Eyre." Sense of "fix at a certain level, make non-transactable" is 1922. Archaic frore "frosty, frozen" can be found in poetry as late as Keats; it is from O.E. frorer, pp. of freosan. First record of freezer in reference to a machine for keeping things very cold is from 1847. Freeze frame is from 1960, originally "a briefly Frozen Shot after the Jingle to allow ample time for Change over at the end of a T.V. 'Commercial.' " ["ABC of Film & TV," 1960].
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: freeze
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: froze; fro·zen; freez·ing
1 : to cause to become fixed, immovable, unavailable, or unalterable <freeze interest rates>
2 : to immobilize (as by government regulation or the action of a financial institution) the expenditure, withdrawal, or exchange of <freeze foreign assets>
3 : to restructure (the capital of a close corporation) so that the value is reflected mostly in preferred stock rather than common stock
NOTE: Once capital is frozen, the common shares can be transferred to the heirs of the owner without taxation while the owner continues to enjoy the income from preferred stock dividends during his or her lifetime. —freeze noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: freeze
Pronunciation: 'frEz
Function: verb
Inflected Form: froze /'frOz/; fro·zen /'frOz-&n/;freez·ing
intransitive senses
1 : to become hardened into a solid (as ice) by loss of heat
2 a : to become chilled with coldfroze to death> b : to anesthetize a part especially by cold freeze transitive senses
1 : to cause to harden into a solid (asice) by loss of heat
2 : to make extremely cold : CHILL
3 a : to act on usuallydestructively by frost b : to anesthetize by cold
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

freeze (frēz)
v. froze (frōz), fro·zen (frō'zən), freez·ing, freez·es

  1. To pass from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat.

  2. To make or become congealed, stiffened, or hardened by exposure to cold.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
freeze   (frēz)  Pronunciation Key 
To change from a liquid to a solid state by cooling or being cooled to the freezing point.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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