Meaning & use
below freezing
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
At a temperature lower than the point at which water freezes, 0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grammar: Often follows be or drop: The temperature is below freezing.
Patterns
- be below freezing
- fall below freezing
It was well below freezing, so the pond was solid ice.
Temperatures will fall below freezing tonight.
The pipes burst when it went below freezing.
Common combinations
- well below freezing
- It was well below freezing this morning.
- drop below freezing
- Temperatures will drop below freezing overnight.
- stay below freezing
- The weather stayed below freezing all week.
- just below freezing
- It is just below freezing outside.
- fall below freezing
- The temperature fell below freezing at midnight.
Synonyms and how they differ
- subzero
- Subzero means below zero degrees, which fits Celsius exactly but can also be used loosely for any severe cold.
- freezing
- Freezing alone can mean very cold generally, while below freezing is exact.
- sub-freezing
- Sub-freezing is more technical and appears in weather forecasts.
- frosty
- Frosty describes cold weather with frost but need not be below zero.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: below freezing or below zero?
below freezing vs below zero
Below zero only equals below freezing in Celsius; in Fahrenheit zero is much colder than freezing.
Practice
The forecast says the temperature will fall ____ freezing tonight, so cover the plants.
Choose one answer.
Below freezing means colder than 0 degrees Celsius, which threatens plants. Above and over mean warmer.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “below freezing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.