freeze
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freeze
A state in computing in which a program or the entire system no longer responds to input and the screen content 'freezes'.
Mitten im Spiel hatte ich einen Freeze und musste den Computer neu starten.
In the middle of the game, I had a freeze and had to restart the computer.
'Freeze' is a loanword from English, a so-called Anglicism. It is often used in everyday German when talking about computer problems.
Mein Laptop hat ständig einen Freeze, ich glaube, ich brauche einen neuen.
My laptop keeps having freezes; I think I need a new one.
The word is used as a masculine noun ('der Freeze') and usually appears with the verb 'haben' (to have). The typical phrasing is 'einen Freeze haben' (to have a freeze).
Ich hatte mitten in der Präsentation einen Freeze und nichts ging mehr.
I had a freeze in the middle of the presentation, and nothing worked anymore.
The term 'Freeze' is used exclusively in technical contexts for computers or programs that no longer respond. It is not used for freezing water or cold weather.
Wenn du einen Freeze hast, hilft oft nur ein Neustart.
If you have a freeze, often only a restart helps.
crash / fall
'der Absturz' and 'der Freeze' can both happen with computers or programs. With an 'Absturz', a program or system suddenly stops working; often it closes or has to be restarted. With a 'Freeze', the program no longer responds, and the screen gets stuck as if it were frozen. Learners may confuse the words because in both cases nothing works normally anymore. In practice: if everything gets stuck, people are more likely to say 'Freeze'; if the program completely crashes or is closed, people are more likely to say 'Absturz'.
Nach dem Update hatte mein Laptop einen Freeze, und ich konnte nichts mehr anklicken.
After the update, my laptop had a freeze, and I couldn't click anything anymore.
Wegen eines Absturzes musste ich das Programm neu starten.
Because of a crash, I had to restart the program.