freezer

American  

[free-zer] / ˈfri zər /

noun

1. a refrigerator, refrigerator compartment, cabinet, or room held at or below 32°F (0°C), used especially for preserving and storing food.

2. a machine containing cold brine, ice, etc., for making ice cream, sherbet, or the like.

3. a person or thing that freezes or chills.

---

freezer British  

/ ˈfriːzə /

noun

1. Also called: deepfreeze.  a device that freezes or chills, esp an insulated cold-storage cabinet for long-term storage of perishable foodstuffs

2. a former name for refrigerator

---

Etymology

Origin of freezer

First recorded in 1835–45; freeze + -er ¹

Explanation

A freezer is an appliance that keeps food frozen at extremely low temperatures. A household freezer is usually built into a refrigerator. It's where you keep your ice cream and ice cubes. The freezer is where you keep ice cubes and frozen peas — it's a compartment at the top (or bottom) of the refrigerator in your kitchen. Larger freezers are used to keep enough food for a long period of time, or so a restaurant, hotel, or school cafeteria can store leftover food or keep enough to cook for a crowd of people. The word freezer was coined in 1847, although it originally meant part of an ice cream maker.

Example Sentences

They complain about ending up covered in manure or dust, or shivering in a freezer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

The group used liquid nitrogen to rapidly cool mouse brain tissue to minus 196 degrees Celsius, then kept it in a minus-150-degree-Celsius freezer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

Conagra, which gets about 40% of its sales from the freezer aisle, has identified high-protein frozen foods such as edamame and its Marie Callender’s Chicken Parmigiana Bowl as growth areas.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

When the call came on January 17, Bri had pumped about a thousand ounces of extra breastmilk, which was stored in her freezer.

From Salon • Feb. 4, 2026

Then he joked that the supply of food in his freezer, gifts from grateful community members who cooked for his family, might last as long.

From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan

Related Words

• cooler
• refrigerator