freeze-up
freeze-up — noun
1. a stretch of weather when temperatures stay extremely low and freezing condition
a stretch of weather when temperatures stay extremely low and freezing conditions continue for some time.
After the freeze-up, farmers found thin ice across the irrigation pond.
after the freeze-up
The town closed its outdoor pool during the January freeze-up.
Noa bought extra blankets when the first freeze-up hit northern Montana.
Pipes often burst in old houses during a long winter freeze-up.
- cold spell
more neutral and more common in general weather reports
- cold snap
often suggests a shorter, sudden period of cold
- deep freeze
more informal and often suggests harsher conditions
- thaw
a period when frozen conditions begin to ease
- warm spell
a short period of warmer weather
文法句型
a freeze-up
during/after the freeze-up
用法筆記
Often appears with time words such as 'winter', 'January', or 'the first'. Distinguish from sense 2, which is about activity or growth being stopped by people, systems, or circumstances.
常見錯誤
2. a situation where an activity, system, or amount is held still for a time, or is
a situation where an activity, system, or amount is held still for a time, or is not allowed to rise further.
The government announced a six-month hiring freeze-up across public hospitals.
hiring freeze-up
A banking freeze-up left small shops without access to short-term loans.
After the software freeze-up, the cashier wrote every order by hand.
Negotiators feared a wage freeze-up would push more workers to quit.
The traffic freeze-up on the bridge delayed ambulances for nearly an hour.
- standstill
suggests movement or progress stops completely
- halt
more direct and often shorter-term
- freeze
more common for official stops in pay, prices, or assets
- resumption
the point when the stopped activity begins again
- increase
the amount rises instead of being held at the same level
文法句型
a freeze-up
[activity/system] freeze-up
用法筆記
Common with nouns naming work, movement, money, or computer activity, such as 'hiring', 'wages', 'credit', or 'software'. It can describe either a full pause in action or an official decision not to let something increase.