chills

verb

present tense third-person singular of chill
1
as in freezes
to cause to lose heat chill the gelatin for two hours, until it sets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in relaxes
to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety you want to hang out with us and just chill this weekend?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in discourages
to lessen the courage or confidence of investors chilled by the floundering economy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in bums
to spend time doing nothing instead of going out tonight, let's stay in and chill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chills This nifty side table chills beverages for hours while doubling as a convenient spot to set down drinks or snacks. — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026 The current crisis in Iran has sent memories bubbling to the surface for the collective, and chills down the spines of viewers. — Chloe Shrager, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026 Uncertainty chills the market TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. — Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 25 Mar. 2026 The metro chills behind the front on Friday and only warms into the low 40s. — Chris Shaffer, CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026 The lawsuit, whose defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, argues that federal officers' use of such munitions is a retaliation against protesters that chills their First Amendment rights. — Arkansas Online, 11 Mar. 2026 The suit names the Department of Homeland Security and argues that officers’ use of chemical munitions amounts to retaliation that chills First Amendment rights. — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 2026 The lawsuit, whose defendants include the Department of Homeland Security, argues that federal officers’ use of such munitions is a retaliation against protesters that chills their First Amendment rights. — ABC News, 9 Mar. 2026 After pasteurization, Munroe chills it to about 34 or 35 degrees before bottling. — Paul Edward Parker, The Providence Journal, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chills
  1. freezes
  2. relaxes
  3. discourages
  4. bums
  5. cools
  6. frustrates
  7. idles
  8. strolls
Verb
  • Restricted airflow and low refrigerant levels are the most common reasons your AC freezes in hot weather.
    — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 28 June 2026
  • This setup cuts through major wartime risks by ensuring that Polish capital can move freely across the border, immune to any emergency payment freezes Kyiv might impose.
    — Lidia Kurasinska, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026
Definition of freezes
Verb
  • Within a few minutes, the sphincter muscle usually relaxes to allow for a bowel movement.
    — Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 28 June 2026
  • The wind relaxes a bit mid-week, but temps will still hover around the low 90s.
    — Adam Del Rosso, CBS News, 27 June 2026
Definition of relaxes
Verb
  • For children under 18 months, the AAP discourages all screen use except for video chatting with family.
    — Elizabeth Dowdell, The Conversation, 6 July 2026
  • The lengthy delay to the funeral has raised questions about how Khamenei's remains have been preserved, as Islamic tradition, anaylsts say, generally calls for prompt burial and discourages chemical embalming.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
Definition of discourages
Verb
  • Critical thinking really bums them out.
    — Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
  • Then Jason and Thor shower together, each lathering the other’s back and bums up with fewer orgasms than an old Herbal Essences commercial.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
Definition of bums
Verb
  • SnowCap’s patented thermoelectric system cools, heats, filters and sanitises, all from the lid itself.
    — Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026
  • Even once in a while, from under the ocean floor, hot magma erupts through the gaps and then cools down to form new planetary crust.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026
Definition of cools
Verb
  • Fallback that requires manual intervention or user choice introduces friction that frustrates legitimate users and can be socially engineered by bad actors.
    — Gegham Azatyan, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • What frustrates me is when the CTA isn’t there.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 9 June 2026
Definition of frustrates
Verb
  • As your car idles, warm air blown from the top of your dashboard will melt the ice on the outside of the windshield.
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Security camera footage shows a black vehicle park in front of Café Bernardo, a restaurant, and idles for about two minutes.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2025
Definition of idles
Verb
  • In the video, backed by champagne synths and hopscotching snares, a tuxedoed Jaeychino strolls the beach in Margiela sneakers, his jacket flapping in the wind as seafoam washes ashore.
    — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026
  • Cable car rides, riverside strolls, and wildlife sightings add to the experience, while hearty Alpine meals and spa treatments ensure you’re rested, relaxed, and refueled for the next adventure.
    — Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 6 June 2026
Definition of strolls

Browse Nearby Words

chill out
chills
chills out
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chills. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on chills

Nglish: Translation of chills for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of xeric

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
banana-mirrored
Contradictory Words Quiz Pick out which word means one thing…and the opp...
See All