freeze-frame

noun

plural freeze-frames
1
a
: a frame of a motion-picture film that is repeated so as to give the illusion of a static picture
b
: a static picture produced from a video recording
On one of the desktop monitors is a freeze-frame from Little Women, Gerwig's new film …Chloe Malle
a freeze-frame image
2
: something resembling a freeze-frame (as in reflecting or preserving a particular moment in time)
We should acknowledge that these pandemic curves are only freeze-frames of a situation still very much in flux …Francesca Melandri
freeze-frame transitive verb
freeze-framed; freeze-framing; freeze-frames
… I freeze-framed a scene in the promo for Monday's show and compared it to online photos of the hotel … Debra Yeo

Examples of freeze-frame in a Sentence

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.
Ibrahim attended a retrospective on the UK artist Cornelia Parker and saw the famous 1991 installation Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View — essentially a freeze-frame of a garden shed at the moment of its obliteration. Lewis Gordon, The Verge, 9 Dec. 2024 Zombieland was super-inventive for its time, with dynamic text, freeze-frame comedic asides, and Bill Murray cameos before all those things got old. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024 Every character receives a freeze-frame as they’re introduced, followed by their name being superimposed beside them. Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024 Creating a simple 4-second freeze-frame is a simple matter of pressing the Option-F shortcut. PCMAG, 30 June 2024 Recently, a friend of a friend pointed out that, ironically, Wren and Carrie in that freeze-frame are wearing similar clothing. Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 16 June 2024 Starting with the freeze-frame, record-scratch moment of Hussein (Igal Naor) and his family watching George W. Bush announce his intentions to invade Iraq and liberate its people, the series then flashes back to the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and follows Saddam’s tyrannical ascent. Scott Tobias, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2024 But those full-color moments felt more like watching a freeze-frame of a movie. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 And the final shot — a freeze-frame of Nancy turning herself in, as her family left her behind — was profound enough to mark the show's conclusion. Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of freeze-frame was in 1948

Dictionary Entries Near freeze-frame

Cite this Entry

“Freeze-frame.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freeze-frame. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.

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