congeal
verb
con·geal kən-ˈjēl 
congealed; congealing; congeals
transitive verb
1
: to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold
The cold congealed the water into ice.
2
: to make viscid or curdled : coagulate
3
: to make rigid, fixed, or immobile
intransitive verb
: to become congealed : solidify
Oil congeals at cold temperatures.
congealment
kən-ˈjēl-mənt
noun 
Synonyms
- concrete
- firm (up)
- freeze
- harden
- indurate
- set
- solidify
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The gravy began to congeal in the pan. the surface of the pond congealed after several days of frigid temperatures
Recent Examples on the Web The Matt Ryan era, is over for better or worse, and the pieces can hopefully congeal together versus being built around a player if that makes sense. 
Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2022 As the deals congeal, there are also loose impersonations of the on-screen talent, including principals Shaw (Hans Altwies), Richard Dreyfuss (Ramzi Khalaf) and Roy Scheider (Geoff Packard). Misha Berson, Variety, 14 June 2022 What is striking now, long after the parody seemed to congeal, is that the wider food community stands ready to believe him. New York Times, 23 May 2022 The cheese of the triple-protein stack was beginning to congeal into a raft of safety-orange wax. Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2022 Just as oil droplets can form in even a well-mixed vinaigrette, droplets of protein, DNA and polyphosphate can congeal in bacterial cells—and this blocks parts of the genome from transcription. Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 Group biographies sometimes fail to congeal, but the members of this cohort did in fact have deeply enmeshed lives. Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2022 But what sounds good on paper doesn’t always congeal in real life. Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2022 And aggregated lies can congeal into a counterfeit history of their own—the old Southern myths of the Lost Cause flutter the Confederate flags of today. Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2022 See More
Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 7 Sep. 2022 As the deals congeal, there are also loose impersonations of the on-screen talent, including principals Shaw (Hans Altwies), Richard Dreyfuss (Ramzi Khalaf) and Roy Scheider (Geoff Packard). Misha Berson, Variety, 14 June 2022 What is striking now, long after the parody seemed to congeal, is that the wider food community stands ready to believe him. New York Times, 23 May 2022 The cheese of the triple-protein stack was beginning to congeal into a raft of safety-orange wax. Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2022 Just as oil droplets can form in even a well-mixed vinaigrette, droplets of protein, DNA and polyphosphate can congeal in bacterial cells—and this blocks parts of the genome from transcription. Carrie Arnold, Scientific American, 30 Mar. 2022 Group biographies sometimes fail to congeal, but the members of this cohort did in fact have deeply enmeshed lives. Krithika Varagur, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2022 But what sounds good on paper doesn’t always congeal in real life. Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2022 And aggregated lies can congeal into a counterfeit history of their own—the old Southern myths of the Lost Cause flutter the Confederate flags of today. Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English congelen, from Middle French congeler, from Latin congelare, from com- + gelare to freeze — more at cold
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Kids Definition
congeal
verb
con·geal kən-ˈjēl
congealed; congealing
1
: to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold : freeze
2
: to make or become hard, stiff, or thick
Medical Definition
congeal
transitive verb
con·geal kən-ˈjē(ə)l
1
: to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold
2
: to make viscid or curdled : coagulate
intransitive verb
: to become congealed
congeals
verb
1
as in freezes
to become physically firm or solid the surface of the pond congealed after several days of frigid temperatures Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- freezes
- hardens
- stiffens
- solidifies
- concretes
- coagulates
- thickens
- sets
- crystallizes
- encrusts
- gels
- jells
- indurates
- gelatinizes
- calcifies
- cakes
- petrifies
- ossifies
- clots
- jellies
- crystalizes
- firms (up)
- calluses
- anneals
- tempers
- incrusts
- gelates
- rigidifies
- case-hardens
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- liquefies
- softens
- dissolves
- liquifies
- melts
- thaws
- fuses
- smelts
- unfreezes
- fluxes
- deliquesces
2
as in gels
to turn from a liquid into a substance resembling jelly the gravy had already started to congeal by the time the waiter served our dinners Synonyms & Similar Words
- freezes
- gels
- coagulates
- stiffens
- jellies
- gelatinizes
- jells
- clots
- clumps
- hardens
- thickens
- solidifies
- sets
- gelates
- condenses
- cakes
- curdles
- concretes
- curds
- gums
- indurates
- fixes
- firms (up)
- lumps (up)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- melts
- liquefies
- thaws
- fuses
- liquifies
- fluxes
- deliquesces