fridge
gb/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/ us/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
A1
English
~ 9600
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
electric appliance for keeping food cold
A big machine in the kitchen that keeps food and drinks cold.
Usage pattern:
[something] is in the fridge
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget the article and say *"I put it in fridge"* instead of *"in the fridge"*. Another common confusion is mixing up *fridge* (for keeping food cold) with *freezer* (for keeping food frozen).
Synonyms
refrigerator (More formal and slightly more technical; 'fridge' is the short, everyday word.)
Antonyms
oven (An oven heats food, while a fridge keeps food cold.)
Collocations
full fridge
|empty fridge
|open the fridge
|put [something] in the fridge
|take [something] out of the fridge
|fridge door
Themes
daily life
|home
|food
|food_drink
|housing
|daily_life
Examples
- Just put the leftovers in the fridge and we’ll eat them tomorrow.
- Can you check if there’s any milk in the fridge?
- He opened the fridge and stood there, trying to decide what to cook.
- We bought a bigger fridge when the twins were born.
- There are some cold drinks in the fridge if you’re thirsty.
Learner examples
- The eggs are in the fridge.
- Please close the fridge door.
- We have a new fridge in our kitchen.
- I put the juice in the fridge.
- There is not much food in the fridge.
Verb
informal
B1
action
2
put or keep something in the fridge
To put food or drink in a fridge to make it cold or keep it fresh.
Usage pattern:
to fridge [food/drink]
Common mistake:
Many learners do not realize that *fridge* can be used as a verb and only use *put it in the fridge* or *refrigerate it*. Also, some may confuse *fridge* with *freeze* and think it means to make food hard and frozen, but *fridging* only makes food cold, not frozen.
Synonyms
refrigerate (More formal and common in written recipes or technical instructions; 'fridge' as a verb is more casual and conversational.)
Antonyms
leave out (To keep food at room temperature instead of putting it in the fridge.)
Collocations
fridge the dough
|fridge the mixture
|fridge overnight
|fridge until needed
|fridge before serving
Themes
daily life
|food
|cooking
|food_drink
|daily_life
Examples
- Once the sauce has cooled, fridge it for at least an hour.
- You can make the dough today and fridge it overnight.
- If you’re not eating it straight away, fridge the salad until serving time.
Learner examples
- Fridge the cake after you put on the cream.
- Let the soup cool, then fridge it.
- You should fridge the milk when you get home.
- I will fridge the fruit so it stays fresh.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fridge
IPA
GB/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
US/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
Syllables & stress
fridge (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (fridge)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fridge
- Plural: fridges
Verb
- Base: fridge
- 3rd Person Singular: fridges
- Present Participle: fridging
- Past: fridged
- Past Participle: fridged
Word family
Forms
fridges
noun
fridging
verb
fridged
verb
Core family
refrigerator
noun A2
refrigerate
verb
Related words
refrigeration
noun
refrigerated
adjective
Negative and opposite forms
unrefrigerated
adjective
Advanced or less common
refrigerant
noun
Expressions
back of the fridge
1/bˈæk əv ðə fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
rear inside area of a fridge
The part inside a fridge that is farthest from the door and hard to see or reach.
Examples
- I found an old yogurt at the back of the fridge.
- Things always get lost at the back of the fridge in our house.
- Check the back of the fridge before you buy more butter.
fridge freezer
1/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ fɹˈizɚ/
fixed phrase
combined fridge and freezer unit
A large kitchen machine that has both a fridge part and a freezer part in one unit.
Examples
- We bought a new fridge freezer for the flat.
- The fridge freezer is too big to fit through that door.
- Their old fridge freezer broke down in the middle of summer.
fridge magnet
1/fɹˈɪd͡ʒ mˈæɡnɪt/
fixed phrase
decorative magnet on a fridge
A small, often colorful magnet that you put on the door of a fridge, sometimes to hold notes or photos.
Examples
- They buy a fridge magnet from every city they visit.
- The shopping list is held up by a cat-shaped fridge magnet.
- I stuck your drawing on the fridge with a new fridge magnet.
in the fridge
1/ˈɪn ðə fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
fixed phrase
located inside a refrigerator
Kept or stored inside a fridge.
Examples
- There’s some cheese in the fridge if you’re hungry.
- Is the chicken in the fridge or on the counter?
- I always keep a bottle of water in the fridge.
raid the fridge
1/ɹˈeɪd ðə fɹˈɪd͡ʒ/
idiom
informal
take food quickly from fridge
To go to the refrigerator and quickly take food, often as a snack or when you should not.
Examples
- I got hungry at midnight and raided the fridge.
- He stayed up late studying and kept raiding the fridge.
- The kids raided the fridge after school and left nothing for dinner.
- The kids like to raid the fridge as soon as they get home from school.
- He loves to raid the fridge while he’s watching TV.
- I might raid the fridge later for some ice cream.