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Not sure what these are called or what they are for but we had a freeze a couple years ago and every time now I hook up the hose, water shoots out everywhere. I tried to remove it with no luck. I didn't want to force it and damage something so I figure I would ask the experts. How can I fix or replace this?

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The big round thingy under the handle is a vacuum breaker. It is to prevent water in hose from being sucked into the house water.

Can replace it just by unscrewing and replace with a new one.

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    The thing to know is they usually have a set screw that’s tightened to the point where the head breaks off, so you’ll probably need to use a lot of force. (A big pipe wrench would help.)
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Dec 18, 2022 at 20:48
  • They are sometimes affixed permanently by being crimped onto the spigot outlet (which would require replacement of the whole fixture). If you don't see a set-screw, be careful because you could break the pipe it's attached to.
    – Jimmy Fix-it
    Dec 19, 2022 at 0:17
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It is called "backflow preventer"

It is just screwed on, you might need pliers to remove the old, then replace with new one.

backflow

They function is to prevent water back flow.

Important: Check if it has a small screw on the side, which is there to prevent it from becoming loose. As seen on the picture

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