freeze out

verb

froze out; frozen out; freezing out; freezes out

transitive verb

: exclude

freeze-out

ˈfrēz-ˌau̇t 

noun

Synonyms

• ban
• bar
• close out
• count (out)
• debar
• eliminate
• except
• exclude
• rule out
• shut out

Examples of freeze out in a Sentence

a housing market that effectively freezes out people of moderate means

Recent Examples on the Web

Pompeo has been totally frozen out of all posts in the Trump administration, with even his security detail being revoked. —Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes.com, 11 Apr. 2025

Trump's move to work with the latter and freeze out Zelensky and his officials has sparked outrage among other European leaders. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in a week when a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump raised fears in Kyiv that it was being frozen out of negotiations, with the White House also downplaying the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO. —Caitlin Danaher, CNN, 15 Feb. 2025

Messi’s goal in the 55th minute, the only one scored all night, was enough to freeze out Sporting 1-0. —Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1861, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for freeze out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

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