FREEZE - Definition & Meaning for Kids

Simple definitions and word synonyms for kids.

Meaning 1

Part of speech: Verb

stop moving or become immobilized

Example: When he saw the police car he froze

Categories: Stand still

📖 Fun Facts About Freeze

  • When water freezes, it expands — that’s why ice floats on water.
  • To freeze means to become very cold and turn into ice or stop moving.

Meaning 2

Part of speech: Verb

change to ice

Example: The water in the bowl froze

Categories: Change state, Turn

Meaning 3

Part of speech: Verb

be cold

Example: I could freeze to death in this office when the air conditioning is turned on

Categories: Suffer

Meaning 4

Part of speech: Verb

cause to freeze

Example: Freeze the leftover food

Categories: Change, Alter, Modify

Meaning 5

Part of speech: Verb

stop a process or a habit by imposing a freeze on it

Example: Suspend the aid to the war-torn country

Categories: Interrupt, Break

Meaning 6

Part of speech: Verb

be very cold, below the freezing point

Example: It is freezing in Kalamazoo

Meaning 7

Part of speech: Verb

change from a liquid to a solid when cold

Example: Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit

Categories: Solidify

Meaning 8

Part of speech: Verb

prohibit the conversion or use of (assets)

Example: Blocked funds; Freeze the assets of this hostile government

Categories: Withhold, Keep back

Meaning 9

Part of speech: Verb

anesthetize by cold

Categories: Anesthetize, Anaesthetize, Anesthetise, Anaesthetise, Put under, Put out

Meaning 10

Part of speech: Verb

suddenly behave coldly and formally

Example: She froze when she saw her ex-husband

Categories: Act, Behave, Do

Synonyms

Freeze, Frost, Immobilize, Suspend, Freeze out

Antonyms

Unblock, Unfreeze, Boil

🌱 Word Origin (Etymology)

The word "freeze" comes from Proto-Indo-European *prews-. It started in Proto-Germanic *freusaną. Then it appeared in Proto-West Germanic *freusan. Later, people used it in Old English frēosan. After that, it was Middle English fresen. Many other languages have similar words:.

  • Scots: frese
  • West Frisian: frieze
  • Dutch: vriezen
  • Low German: freren
  • German: frieren
  • Norwegian: fryse
  • Swedish: frysa
  • Latin: pruīna
  • Sanskrit: प्रुष्व

🧩 Fun Fact

Following this word's journey reveals ancient trade routes and cultural exchanges.