cold feet

plural noun

: apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action

Examples of cold feet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Curing cold feet with machine learning Though good, there’s nothing particularly novel about the ID.7’s seats. Tim Stevens, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024 Her small belly, her chest, her forehead, her hands, her cold feet bare in the night. Mosab Abu Toha, The New York Review of Books, 29 Feb. 2024 Of course, with each passing day, there is a chance that teams get cold feet and back out of talks, but Snell's status as a two-time Cy Young winner should ensure Snell a solid deal eventually. Jon Hoefling, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 An advertiser who agreed to run a pitch gets cold feet, doesn’t like the commercial that was supposed to run, or needs to claw back the money being spent. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Feb. 2024 Aaron Pierre, who was tapped for the role of Malcolm X, got cold feet, too. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2024 Nothing can ruin a ski trip quicker than cold feet. David Moses, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2024 One of Amazon’s steepest discounts, the Safavieh Dallas Shag Collection Area Rug is also on sale for 86 percent off, and its plush carpeting is great to ward against cold feet this winter. Gabriela Izquierdo, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 Perfect for cold days, these slippers are designed to provide heat and comfort, fulfilling the dream of a future without cold feet. Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cold feet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cold feet was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near cold feet

Cite this Entry

“Cold feet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20feet. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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