Definition of "freeze"

Ever thicker, thicker, thicker / Froze the ice on lake and river,

1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Song of Hiawatha, Book XX: The Famine

He got to Dawson before the river froze, and now I suppose I won't hear any more until spring.

1913, Willa Cather, “O Pioneers!”, in Winter Memories, section I

Running water does not freeze as easily as still water.

1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, The How and Why Library: Wonders, Section II: Water

Freeze the wizard in his vessel, / Freeze to ice the wicked Ahti, ...

1888, Elias Lönnrot, John Martin Crawford (translator, from German), The Kalevala, Rune XXX: The Frost-fiend

As Tarzan rose upon the body of his kill to scream forth his hideous victory cry into the face of the moon the wind carried to his nostrils something which froze him to statuesque immobility and silence.

1916, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter III, in Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

They froze on their knees, their faces turned upward with a ghastly blue hue in the sudden glare of a weird light that burst blindingly up near the lofty roof and then burned with a throbbing glow.

1935, Robert E. Howard, chapter IV, in Jewels of Gwahlur

Dr Constantine sniggered and Mrs Hubbard immediately froze him with a glance.

1934, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in Murder on the Orient Express, London: HarperCollins, published 2017, page 102

The other side to this sunny gladness of natural love is his pity for their sufferings when their own mother's heart seems to freeze towards them.

1898, Robert Burns, edited by John George Dow, Selections from the poems of Robert Burns, page lviii

His friends begin to freeze towards him, the pillars of society cut him publicly, his clients cool off, big business deals no longer come his way, he is increasingly conscious of social ostracism and the puzzled misgivings of his wife.

1968, Ronald Victor Sampson, The Psychology of Power, page 134

If you cheat them, they don't say anything but after that they freeze towards you.

1988, Edward Holland Spicer, Kathleen M. Sands, Rosamond B. Spicer, People of Pascua, page 37

A faint, cold fear runs through my veins, / That almost freezes up the heat of life.

c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene iii]

The headline promise in the Liberal Democrat manifesto is to freeze rail fares for commuters and season ticket holders for the duration of a Parliament.

2019 December 4, “Lib Dems promise fares freeze and low-emission technology”, in Rail, page 6

In order to work properly, the cotton stripper required that the plant be brown and brittle, as happened after a freeze, so that the cotton bolls could snap off easily.

2009, Pietra Rivoli, The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy, 2nd edition, page 38

Without a freeze it might be possible to proceed with the production and deployment of such destabilizing systems as the MX, Trident II, cruise missiles and SS-18s, -19s and -20s.

1982 October, William Epstein, “The freeze: a hot issue at the United Nations”, in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Critics may oppose the nuclear freeze for what they regard as moral reasons.

1983 October 3, Ted Kennedy, speech, Truth and Tolerance in America

Many of our opponents in Congress are advocating a freeze in Federal spending and an increase in taxes.

1985 April 27, Ronald Reagan, Presidential Radio Address

The reason I said the guard wasn't the toughest shot in curling is because, in my book, that's a shot called the freeze. A stone thrown as a freeze comes perfectly to rest directly in front of another stone, without moving it (see Figure 10-5).

2006, Bob Weeks, Curling for Dummies, page 143

[I]f a plaine fellow well and cleanely apparelled, either in home-ſpun ruſſet or freeze (as the ſeaſon requires) with a five pouch at his girdle, happen to appeare in his ruſticall likenes: there is a Cozen ſaies one, At which word out flies the Taker, and thus giues the onſet vpon my olde Pennyfather.

1608, [Thomas Dekker], “Of Barnards Law”, in The Belman of London. […], London: […] [Edward Allde and Nicholas Okes] for Nathaniel Butter, signature F, verso