unfreeze

verb

un·​freeze ˌən-ˈfrēz How to pronounce unfreeze (audio)
unfroze ˌən-ˈfrōz How to pronounce unfreeze (audio) ; unfrozen ˌən-ˈfrō-zᵊn How to pronounce unfreeze (audio) ; unfreezing

transitive verb

1
: to cause to thaw
2
: to remove from a freeze
unfreeze wages

Examples of unfreeze in a Sentence

We can't wait until the ground unfreezes so we can start gardening. The warm weather unfroze the lake. The Justice Department agreed to unfreeze the company's assets. I had to wait for my computer to unfreeze before I could read my e-mail. He helped me to unfreeze my computer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Earlier this week, Harvard moved for a conclusive decision from a federal judge to unfreeze close to $2.5 billion in federal funds that Trump’s administration pulled from the school. Tara Suter, The Hill, 5 June 2025 In the lead-up to last week’s sales, some of the same executives gamely suggested that the supply pipeline had unfrozen. Tim F. Schneider, New York Times, 19 May 2025 In March, the high court refused to halt a lower court's ruling that required the administration to unfreeze about $1.9 billion in foreign aid payments. April Rubin, Axios, 4 Apr. 2025 The nonprofit Climate United sued the administration this weekend to unfreeze a $7 billion federal grant awarded by the Biden administration, using money Congress appropriated, that will fund clean energy and solar projects around the nation. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unfreeze

Word History

First Known Use

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfreeze was in 1584

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Cite this Entry

“Unfreeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfreeze. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

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