freezing

The word “freezing” means extremely cold. In plain terms, very cold, or the process of a liquid turning solid.

“Freezing” is pronounced FREEZ-ihng (/ˈfɹiːz.ɪŋ/ in IPA).

Here is “freezing” used in a sentence: “It was freezing outside, so we stayed in with hot chocolate.”

Words with a similar meaning to “freezing” include frosty, frigorific and frost.

Depending on how it is used, “freezing” can be an adjective and a noun.

“Freezing” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Freezing” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: extremely cold.

"Freezing" describes extreme cold or the process of turning solid ("a freezing wind," "the pond is freezing over"), while "frozen" describes the completed state ("the pond is frozen"). When people say "I'm freezing," they mean they feel extremely cold, not that they are literally turning to ice.

No — in "freezing cold," the word "freezing" works as an intensifier meaning "extremely," so the phrase means "extremely cold." It is standard in informal speech ("It's freezing cold outside"), though formal or technical writing prefers plain "freezing" or an exact temperature.

In the scientific sense, freezing is the point at which a liquid turns solid, which for water is 0°C (32°F). In everyday speech, "freezing" just means very cold, so people say "it's freezing in here" at temperatures well above zero. Context shows whether the precise freezing point or general discomfort is meant.

"Cold" is the neutral, all-purpose word; "freezing" is stronger and more emotive, so use it to stress that the cold is extreme: "a cold morning" versus "a freezing morning." Weather reports and technical writing generally stick with "cold" plus a figure, while "freezing" dominates in everyday complaints.