cold

1 of 3

adjective

ˈkōld 

1

a

: having or being a temperature that is uncomfortably low for humans

it is cold outside today

a cold drafty attic

b

: having a relatively low temperature or one lower than normal or expected

the bath water has gotten cold

c

: not heated: such as

(1)

of food : served without heating especially after initial cooking or processing

cold cereal

cold roast beef

(2)

: served chilled or with ice

a cold drink

(3)

: involving processing without the use of heat

cold working of steel

2

a

: marked by a lack of the warmth of normal human emotion, friendliness, or compassion

a cold stare

got a cold reception

also : not moved to enthusiasm

the movie leaves me cold

b

: not colored or affected by personal feeling or bias : detached, indifferent

cold chronicles recorded by an outsider

—Andrew Sarris

also : impersonal, objective

cold facts

cold reality

c

: marked by sure familiarity : pat

had her lines cold weeks before opening night

3

: conveying the impression of being cold: such as

a

: depressing, gloomy

cold gray skies

b

: cool sense 6a

4

a

: marked by the loss of normal body heat

cold hands

especially : dead

… she lay cold and still—she was gone …

—Upton Sinclair

b

: giving the appearance of being dead : unconscious

passed out cold

5

a

: having lost freshness or vividness : stale

dogs trying to pick up a cold scent

b

: far off the mark : not close to finding or solving

—used especially in children's games

c

: marked by poor or unlucky performance

the team's shooting turned cold in the second half

d

: not prepared or suitably warmed up

The player's sub entered the game cold.

coldish

ˈkōld-ish 

adjective

coldly

ˈkōl(d)-lē 

adverb

coldness

ˈkōl(d)-nəs 

noun

cold

2 of 3

noun

1

: bodily sensation produced by loss or lack of heat

they died of the cold

2

: a condition of low temperature

extremes of heat and cold

especially : cold weather

He waited outside for her in the bitter cold.

3

: a bodily disorder popularly associated with chilling

specifically : common cold

She came down with a cold.

cold

3 of 3

adverb

1

: with utter finality : absolutely, completely

turned down cold

also : abruptly

stopped them cold

2

a

: without introduction or advance notice

walked in cold to apply for a job

b

: without preparation or warm-up

was asked to perform the solo cold

Phrases

in cold blood

: with premeditation : deliberately

was killed in cold blood

out in the cold

: deprived of benefits given others

the plan benefits management but leaves labor out in the cold

Synonyms

Adjective

• freezing
• chilly
• icy
• frigid
• chill
• cool

Noun

• freeze
• coldness

Examples of cold in a Sentence

Adjective

The water was too cold for swimming.

The weather has been unusually cold this spring.

a country with a cold climate

It was a long, cold winter.

It's cold outside, but the wind makes it feel even colder.

It's bitterly cold out there!

metal that is cold to the touch

Are you cold? I could turn up the temperature if you'd like.

a bowl of cold cereal

He ate cold pizza for breakfast.

Noun

I mind cold more than heat.

They died of exposure to cold.

The cold really sets in around late November and doesn't let up until April.

I stood there shivering in the cold.

He waited outside for her in the bitter cold.

Come in out of the cold.

It's not the flu, it's just a cold.

Adverb

She was asked to perform the song cold.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Color & Geometry Non-Slip Bath Mat Gone are the days of stepping out of the shower and onto cold tile or a soggy bath mat. —Mia Huelsbeck, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

Aspinall made short work of Blaydes in the rematch, though, knocking him out cold in one minute, which is a similar result to most of Aspinall’s other victories. —Brett Appley, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025

Noun

Protect the plants from extreme cold. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025

He’s built on Yannick Alléno’s mid-2010s innovations, like concentration and cryo-extraction, a technique that uses extreme cold to capture and intensify flavors. —Joel Hart, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2025

Adverb

Call it cold hearted or cost effective, but for some Gen Z singles, a free dinner date beats another night of ramen or freezer-aisle meals. —Rachel Hale, USA Today, 17 Oct. 2025

The trade itself, the act of ice harvesting, vanished, but the work of keeping things cold multiplied a hundredfold. —Alexander Puutio, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, going back to Old English cald (Anglian), ceald (West Saxon), going back to Germanic *kalða- (whence Old Saxon cald "cold," Middle Dutch cout, Old High German kalt, Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds), verbal adjective from *kalan- "to be cold" (whence Old English calan "to be cold, to make cold," Old Norse kala "to freeze") going back to a dialectal Indo-European base *ǵel-, *ǵol-, whence also Latin gelū, gelus "frost, cold," gelāre "to freeze, chill"

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English ceald, cald, noun derivative of ceald, cald cold entry 1 (or derivative from the Germanic base of these adjectives)

Adverb

derivative of cold entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adverb

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cold

• blow hot and cold
• blue from the cold
• blue with cold
• cold-blooded
• cold call
• cold cash
• cold chisel
• cold comfort
• cold cream
• cold cuts
• cold duck
• cold-eyed
• cold feet
• cold fish
• cold frame
• cold front
• cold open
• cold opening
• cold-press
• cold remedy
• cold shoulder
• cold-smoke
• cold snap
• cold sore
• cold spell
• cold storage
• cold store
• cold sweat
• cold turkey
• cold type
• cold war
• cold warrior
• cold water
• cold wave
• come in from the cold
• common cold
• feel the heat/cold
• freezing cold
• gave him the cold shoulder
• got the cold shoulder
• head cold
• ice-cold
• icy cold
• in the cold light of day
• knock cold
• leave (someone) cold
• leave (someone) out in the cold
• make someone's blood run cold
• out in the cold
• stone-cold
• the cold
• the cold shoulder
• throw cold water on
• trail goes cold

Rhymes for cold

• bold
• bowled
• doled
• foaled
• fold
• gold
• hold
• holed
• mould
• old
• poled
• polled

Kids Definition

cold

1 of 2 adjective

ˈkōld 

1

: having a low temperature or one much below normal

a cold day

a cold drink

2

: lacking warmth of feeling : unfriendly

a cold stare

3

: suffering or uncomfortable from lack of warmth

they feel cold

4

a

: marked by the loss of normal body heat

cold hands

b

: giving the appearance of being dead : unconscious

passed out cold

coldly adverb

coldness

ˈkōl(d)-nəs 

noun

cold

2 of 2 noun

1

a

: a condition of low temperature

b

: cold weather

2

: bodily sensation produced by loss or lack of heat : chill

3

: a bodily disorder popularly associated with chilling

especially : common cold

Medical Definition

cold

1 of 3 adjective

ˈkōld 

1

a

: having or being a temperature that is noticeably lower than body temperature and especially that is uncomfortable for humans

a cold drafty room

b

: having a relatively low temperature or one that is lower than normal or expected

the bath water has gotten cold

c

: receptive to the sensation of coldness : stimulated by cold

a cold spot is a typical receptor in higher vertebrates

2

: marked by the loss of normal body heat

cold hands

3

: dead

4

: exhibiting little or no radioactivity

coldness

ˈkōl(d)-nəs 

noun

cold

2 of 3 noun

1

: bodily sensation produced by loss or lack of heat

2

: a bodily disorder popularly associated with chilling:

a

in humans : common cold

b

in domestic animals : coryza

COLD

3 of 3 abbreviation

chronic obstructive lung disease