cold feet

noun

Definition of cold feetnext
as in uncertainty

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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 cold feet That has sent maritime insurance rates through the roof and given some financiers and shipping companies cold feet about tempting fate and navigating through the troubled waters. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 15 June 2026 As for whether Smirnoff-Skyy's flair might give some buyers cold feet, listing agent Adelaida Mejia of Vanguard Properties isn't losing any sleep over it. — Itay Hod, CBS News, 9 June 2026 Advertisers began to get cold feet about the vigilante-like tactics used to investigate alleged predators. — Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 Or, sometimes the non-comics get cold feet on a certain joke. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 12 May 2026 The $10 billion that Cursor keeps even if the deal doesn’t happen looks, to my traditional M&A reporter brain, like the largest breakup fee on record (a smart move, given Musk’s penchant for getting cold feet). — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 Apr. 2026 But Borgli isn’t just delivering a biting satire on the ultimate case of cold feet. — David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2026 Did OpenAI’s discontinuation of Sora force Disney out of the deal, or did Disney get cold feet first? — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 25 Mar. 2026 And Indonesia isn’t the only country getting cold feet. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold feet
  1. uncertainty
  2. doubt
  3. suspense
  4. dread
  5. angst
  6. torment
  7. foreboding
  8. upset
Noun
  • Early footage shows the group navigating uncertainty before eventually rediscovering its chemistry with Armstrong and Brittain, a process that transformed grief into a new creative chapter.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The service later moved through a confusing sequence of identities — HBO Max, Max and ultimately HBO Max again — reflecting a strategic uncertainty that its competitors were happy to exploit.
    — Paul Hardart, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertainty
Noun
  • Therefore, Tunick remains presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Since the State could not disprove the justification defense beyond a reasonable doubt, the evidence resulted in the decision that no criminal charges would be filed against the fast-food employees.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of doubt
Noun
  • The bill, Assembly Bill 2193, was placed in the suspense file in May.
    — Madison Smalstig July 31, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
  • The suspense grows more effective past the one-hour mark, once Dama takes control of the narrative, with Irina, Rosa and Giulia variably helped and hindered by her steely mechanizations.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 30 July 2026
Definition of suspense
Noun
  • On Podium, Cheekface dial up both the hooks and the sociopolitical dread, but absurdist humor remains their defense mechanism for a world spiraling out of control.
    — Zach Schonfeld, Pitchfork, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Lynskey suggests that there might be some way to grasp the significance of events like the unprecedented wildfires in Europe without giving in to dread.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • The backlash has prompted Meta to update its glasses to address privacy concerns, and some places have banned them, adding to the angst surrounding technology that’s rapidly evolving.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The months-long delay, barring a settlement, has added to industry angst given how rapidly the marketplace keeps changing due to tech and audience shifts.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of angst
Noun
  • Sochor confessed to the crime, but her body has never been found − still a torment to her family.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 11 July 2026
  • By homing in on the psychological torment of winning the crown, the show offers a surprising detour from familiar carnage—while suggesting that disappointment over a seemingly ideal position can be as crushing as a defeat on the battlefield.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026
Definition of torment
Noun
  • On his first appearance for Peak Oil, the Mancunian producer animates foreboding, percussive bass music with tricky details and Escherian grooves.
    — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
  • In Nolan’s telling, his deceit and plundering portend the collapse of the Bronze Age—a foreboding warning about greedy, fading empires that feels a little too relevant.
    — Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 16 July 2026
Definition of foreboding
Noun
  • El-Sayed's win is a boon for the left flank of the Democratic Party, which has recently scored upsets in New York and Colorado.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
  • However, the night was a team effort for Dallas, as the crew worked to fend off the Amps’ hunt for the biggest upset of this season.
    — Ava DiCecca, Sun Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of upset

Browse Nearby Words

cold-eyed
cold feet
cold fish
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Cite this Entry

“Cold feet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20feet. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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