chill

1 of 3

noun

ˈchil 

1

a

: a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering (as due to illness)

He had caught a chill that night, and was now down with a fever.

—Wilkie Collins

—usually plural

If you have a cough, fever and chills and are not breathing as easily as usual, you might have a cold or the flu.

—Linda Searing

Over the next few days, my body followed up with a series of messages: you have a sore throat; you have a fever; you have the chills.

—John Herrman

b

: an intense shivery sensation : shiver, shudder

especially : one caused by a strong emotion (such as fear)

Do you like a good scare? The sort of story, or moment, that sends a chill down your spine and makes the hair on your arms stand up like porcupine quills?

—Katherine Scott Crawford

—often plural

a song so beautiful it gives me chills

… this is where [Stephen] King shines, creating those aforementioned creepy scenes that gave me the chills.

—Katherine Whitt

c

: a disagreeable sensation of coldness

When you venture outside on a cold day, chances are you feel the biggest chill in your fingers.

—Tamekia Reece

2

: a moderate but disagreeable degree of cold

a chill in the air

3

: a check to enthusiasm or warmth of feeling

And a chill fell over the service as mourners … carried a casket draped in white to the altar.

—Katherine Creag and Jennifer Millman

chill

2 of 3

adjective

sometimes chiller; sometimes chillest

1

a

: moderately cold

b

: cold, raw

2

: affected by cold

chill travelers

3

: distant, formal

a chill reception

4

: depressing, dispiriting

chill penury

—Thomas Gray

5

informal : having a laid-back style or easy demeanor

She looked just like Joey Potter … Really young and super chill. No one was paying any attention. It was a laid-back situation.

—Emma Pearse

We're very casual. I love how at City Hall people come in everything from wedding gowns to jeans. It's so mellow and chill, just how we like it.

—Erin Burnett

chillness noun

chill

3 of 3

verb

chilled; chilling; chills

intransitive verb

1

a

: to become cold

b

: to shiver or quake with or as if with cold

2

: to become taken with a chill

3

a

: chill out

b

: hang sense 12

transitive verb

1

a

: to make cold or chilly

chilled by a cold wind

b

: to make cool especially without freezing

chill the wine

2

: to affect as if with cold : dispirit

Synonyms

Noun

• chilliness
• bitterness
• cold
• coldness
• bite

Adjective

• icy
• chilly
• cold
• frigid
• cool

Verb

• freeze
• cool
• refrigerate
• frost

Examples of chill in a Sentence

Noun

There was a chill in the autumn air.

He closed the windows to keep out the chill.

Her symptoms include chills and a fever.

He caught a chill that turned into a bad cold.

The novel's final scene gave him the chills.

Her words sent chills down my spine.

Adjective

The chill weather kept us indoors.

were met with a chill gaze when they arrived home late from the party

Verb

Chill the dessert for one hour before serving it.

Let the dessert chill for one hour before serving it.

Here's a ghost story that will chill you.

Her screams chilled me to the bone.

a horrible sight that chilled my bones

He thinks his parents are way too uptight and says they should just chill.

I decided to stay home and chill.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After a two to eight day incubation period, patients may develop fever, headache, chills, weakness and one or more swollen, painful lymph nodes. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 11 July 2025

Symptoms of plague in humans typically appear within one to eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, health officials say. —Stephanie Innes, AZCentral.com, 11 July 2025

Adjective

While the small town of Kailua-Kona can be bustling during the summer months, the Big Island is typically chill. —Will McGough, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

With nail trends being so chill over the last year or two—who knew nude nails would be so hot for so long?—those of us who were once confident DIYing our nail art may feel a bit out of practice these days. —Marci Robin, Allure, 3 June 2025

Verb

The deli restaurant and its nearby Scoop Deck, a place people went for ice cream, have been go-to destinations for people refueling after a jaunt around the harbor, to meet friends, hold business meetings or a place to chill. —Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 28 June 2025

This pasta salad makes full use of summer produce and is best served chilled. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 28 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chile chill, frost, from Old English ciele; akin to Old English ceald cold

First Known Use

Noun

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing chill

• a chill down your spine
• a chill/shiver runs up/down someone's spine
• caught a chill
• chill factor
• chill out
• make a chill/shiver run up/down someone's spine
• pre-chill
• send a chill/shiver up/down someone's spine
• take the chill off

Rhymes for chill

• bill
• brill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill
• krill

Kids Definition

chill

1 of 3 noun

ˈchil 

1

: a feeling of cold accompanied by shivering

chills and fever

2

: a strong sensation of shivering especially from an emotion (as fear)

—often used in plural

gave me chills

3

: a moderate but unpleasant amount of cold

there was a chill in the air

chill

2 of 3 adjective

1

: unpleasantly cold : raw

nights grew chill

2

: not friendly

a chill greeting

3

informal : having a relaxed style or manner : laid-back

chillness noun

chill

3 of 3 verb

1

: to make or become cold or chilly

2

: to cool without freezing

chill the pudding for dessert

3

: to affect as if with cold

we were chilled by the ghost story

4

: chill out

5

: to spend time relaxing or socializing

chiller noun

Medical Definition

chill

1 of 2 noun

ˈchil 

1

: a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering

2

: a disagreeable sensation of coldness

chill

2 of 2 intransitive verb

1

a

: to become cold

b

: to shiver or quake with or as if with cold

2

: to become affected with a chill

transitive verb

: to make cold or chilly

Legal Definition

chill

transitive verb

: to discourage especially through fear of penalty : have a chilling effect on

statutes which may chill the exercise of…free expression

—M. H. Redish