verb

freeze

Translation

to freeze

Water freezes at 0°C.

Water freezes at 32°F.

I froze when I saw the spider.

The government will freeze wages.

The computer screen has frozen.

((no object)) to become ice The lake will freeze over tonight.

((sth.)) to preserve (sth.) by cooling You can freeze the leftover soup.

((no object)) to stop moving suddenly He told the robber to freeze.

((sth.)) to officially stop (sth.) They decided to freeze the company's assets.

Synonyms: chill, congeal; Antonyms: melt, thaw

Etymology: From Old English 'frēosan', related to German 'frieren'. The core idea is of cold causing stiffness.

Imagine a freezer: it makes things cold and stops them. This applies to water, people, and money.