freeze
//friːz//
Verb
To turn from liquid to solid as a result of extreme cold; to become ice or solid.
Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius.
To become so cold that ice forms; to reach or fall below the freezing point.
The lake froze overnight when the temperature dropped below zero.
To preserve food by storing it at very low temperatures.
You can freeze the leftover soup for later.
To stop moving suddenly and remain motionless, often due to fear or surprise.
The deer froze when it saw the headlights.
To stop or fix something at a particular level or in a particular state.
The government decided to freeze prices for six months.
To cause a computer or device to stop responding temporarily.
The application froze my computer and I had to restart it.
Noun
A period of very cold weather when temperatures are at or below freezing.
The freeze damaged many crops this winter.
An act of stopping or fixing something at a particular level, especially prices or wages.
The government announced a freeze on wages for public sector workers.