UNFREEZE (unfroze, unfrozen)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: unfroze    , unfrozen   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does unfreeze mean? 

• UNFREEZE (verb)
  The verb UNFREEZE has 2 senses:

1. become or cause to become soft or liquid

2. make (assets) available

  Familiarity information: UNFREEZE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UNFREEZE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they unfreeze    ... he / she / it unfreezes   
Past simple: unfroze   
Past participle: unfrozen   
-ing form: unfreezing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Become or cause to become soft or liquid

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

dethaw; dissolve; melt; thaw; unfreeze; unthaw

Context example:

dethaw the meat

Hypernyms (to "unfreeze" is one way to...):

flux; liquefy; liquify (become liquid or fluid when heated)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "unfreeze"):

deliquesce (melt or become liquid by absorbing moisture from the air)

de-ice; defrost; deice (make or become free of frost or ice)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence example:

The chefs unfreeze the vegetables

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make (assets) available

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

free; release; unblock; unfreeze

Context example:

release the holdings in the dictator's bank account

Hypernyms (to "unfreeze" is one way to...):

issue; supply (circulate or distribute or equip with)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Antonym:

freeze (prohibit the conversion or use of (assets))

 Context examples 

These unfrozen materials appear to be relics of past surface ecosystems and the findings provide compelling evidence that they now provide deep subsurface habitats for microbial life despite extreme environmental conditions.

(Discovered deep under Antarctic surface: Extensive, salty aquifer and potentially vast microbial habitat, NSF)