chills

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 Challengers, including conservative advocacy groups, argue the law unconstitutionally chills political speech and participation. Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025 This kind of political pressure on broadcasters and artists chills free speech and threatens the livelihoods of thousands of working Americans. Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025 The Professor Watchlist has been denounced by faculty associations as a blacklist that chills academic freedom. Stephanie A, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025 During the height of the summer heat, the ice chills the water for the penguin, sea otter and hippo habitats. Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2025 Yet, even if courts side with Cook, the damage is done—the intimidation chills independent decision-making. Dan Irvine, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025 The Stanford team’s passive cooling system chills water by a few degrees with the help of radiative panels that absorb heat and beam it directly into outerspace. IEEE Spectrum, 5 Sep. 2017 This chills free speech and further fuels the militarization of law enforcement. Lauren Carasik, Foreign Affairs, 22 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chills
Verb
  • Bury the edge of a wire cage a couple of inches below the soil, which is much easier to do before the ground freezes.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Nov. 2025
  • That’s because rent freezes discourage housing construction, leading to scarcity, crumbling buildings and higher prices over time.
    Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Every schedule crescendos and relaxes in terms of travel difficulty, but the Broncos have been on a particularly brutal run recently.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
  • That first episode suffers from the need to do so much heavy lifting and feels both overstuffed and overly conventional, but once all the pieces are in place, the show relaxes into itself and its actual voice emerges.
    Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Grok also discourages users from sharing personal or sensitive information.
    Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
  • The stories have gotten so prevalent that park management discourages people from exploring the park after dark in an attempt to dissuade ghost hunters from damaging the historic sites.
    Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The cranky and irritating backseat driver, who bums a lift midway through the Griswolds' adventure, also has with her the easily excitable pooch Dinky.
    Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Some see ARMs as the only path to homeownership, wagering that central bankers will cut rates as inflation cools off.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Feeling inspired to bake as the weather cools?
    Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • It’s been said that the filibuster empowers the minority and frustrates the majority.
    The Detroit News Editorial Board, Twin Cities, 6 Nov. 2025
  • This inconsistency frustrates drivers and reduces their confidence in public charging networks, further slowing EV adoption.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The film just idles on the runway.
    Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • When the door opens, Bear strolls in, his front leg covered in paint—clear evidence of his accidental mischief.
    Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
  • In New York City, Sydney Sweeney strolls through Bryant Park with entertainment investor beau Scooter Braun, while Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish take to the streets to film new episodes of Law and Order.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Chills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chills. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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