cold call
noun
: a telephone call soliciting business made directly to a potential customer without prior contact or without a lead
cold-call
verb
Examples of cold call in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This best-selling coat rack on Amazon is a stylish entryway must-have, especially come winter when the rain, snow, and cold calls for coats, umbrellas, hats, and more.
—
Gabriela Izquierdo, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2023
My most regrettable investing move was taking a cold call many years ago.
—The Motley Fool, Dallas News, 6 Aug. 2023
Owners seeking to sell their piece of the timeshare are drawing much of the cartel's attention, though cold calls to random numbers are also used.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
So much better than a cold call.
—Scott Miller, Forbes, 13 May 2022
In this case, a cold call to a specific star.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 18 Nov. 2022
Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men.
—Dasha Litvinova, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023
McPhee-McCuin, who had three consecutive 20-win seasons at Jacksonville before moving to Oxford, didn’t cold call then-Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork.
—Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2023
In her first job out of college a couple of decades ago, as a temporary worker helping sell subscriptions to industry research, Ms. Taormino says she was tasked with finding titles of people at target companies to cold call with product information and fax brochures.
—Lindsay Ellis, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2022
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Gabriela Izquierdo, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Oct. 2023
My most regrettable investing move was taking a cold call many years ago.
—The Motley Fool, Dallas News, 6 Aug. 2023
Owners seeking to sell their piece of the timeshare are drawing much of the cartel's attention, though cold calls to random numbers are also used.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 27 July 2023
So much better than a cold call.
—Scott Miller, Forbes, 13 May 2022
In this case, a cold call to a specific star.
—Ellen McGirt, Fortune, 18 Nov. 2022
Recruiters are making cold calls to eligible men.
—Dasha Litvinova, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Mar. 2023
McPhee-McCuin, who had three consecutive 20-win seasons at Jacksonville before moving to Oxford, didn’t cold call then-Ole Miss athletics director Ross Bjork.
—Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2023
In her first job out of college a couple of decades ago, as a temporary worker helping sell subscriptions to industry research, Ms. Taormino says she was tasked with finding titles of people at target companies to cold call with product information and fax brochures.
—Lindsay Ellis, WSJ, 8 Nov. 2022
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cold call.' 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
1966, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near cold call
Cite this Entry
“Cold call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20call. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.
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