freeze out

verb

froze out; frozen out; freezing out; freezes out
Synonyms of freeze outnext
freeze-out noun

Examples of freeze out in a Sentence

a housing market that effectively freezes out people of moderate means
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.
Unions that back the wrong horse in a primary can get frozen out. Heather Merrick, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026 In the aftermath of 2020, Jones was stripped of a committee chairmanship and frozen out of Senate GOP leadership. Shannon McCaffrey, AJC.com, 10 June 2026 Years of soaring home prices, especially in the early part of this decade when rock-bottom mortgage rates fueled a buying frenzy, have left many would-be homebuyers frozen out of the market. ABC News, 9 June 2026 At one time, Democratic leaders were worried that Hilton and Chad Bianco, the Republican sheriff of Riverside County, might finish 1-2 and freeze out Democrats. Dan Walters, Mercury News, 28 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for freeze out

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of freeze out was in 1861

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Freeze out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze%20out. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.

Legal Definition

freezeout

1 of 2 noun
freeze·​out
ˈfrēz-ˌau̇t
: a corporate action (as a merger) taken by those in control of the corporation (as controlling shareholders or the board of directors) for the purpose of causing the minority shareholders to lose their equity in the corporation (as by the sale of their shares) compare squeezeout

freeze out

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to subject to a freezeout
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