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.
The state has filed their own lawsuit against the Trump administration over the funding freeze, and a federal judge ordered the administration to unfreeze the funding on Friday. Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Apr. 2025 In an earlier case, from January, a Rhode Island judge said, basically, that the Administration had ignored his order to unfreeze federal funds that the Administration had tried to stop from being disbursed. Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2025 In that lawsuit, a different federal judge ordered the government to unfreeze federal grants, and after finding the administration had not abided by his directive, ordered compliance. Ella Lee, The Hill, 25 Feb. 2025 The money had somehow gotten stuck, and the only way to unfreeze it was to send more. David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 19 Feb. 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 22 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on unfreeze

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