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 But frescos don’t put shoes on a poor child’s cold feet and sketches of flying machines didn’t put Orville Wright in the sky. — Christopher Koopman, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 The paper added police were investigating whether the suspect got cold feet or whether making such a call was part of the plan. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 A couple days ago a THR report claimed that Universal was getting cold feet over releasing Alex Gibney’s Musk documentary in international territories. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 18 Sep. 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold feet
  1. uncertainty
  2. doubt
  3. suspense
  4. dread
  5. angst
  6. torment
  7. foreboding
  8. upset
Noun
  • For a government overseeing a population dominated by mobile expats, that created a lot of uncertainty in terms of establishing an economic base that can support a welfare system and basic state infrastructure.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The shooting has brought medical expenses and uncertainty to her family, according to the fundraising campaign.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of uncertainty
Noun
  • Complicating things is the current Administration, which has mastered the art of using those message-delivery systems to spread doubt and discontent and suspicion.
    — Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Beset with doubts and periods of blockage, Krasner had to find constantly ways to move on and pursue a trajectory that was all her own, all while facing Pollock’s larger-than-life.
    — John Yau, ARTnews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of doubt
Noun
  • The new season will place an emphasis on suspense, dread and psychological terror, and expand the use of archival materials, photographs, home videos and social content.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Verity Crawford is at the height of her popularity, discussing her wildly popular romantic-suspense series, Noble Virtues, on national TV.
    — Fawnia Soo Hoo, Allure, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of suspense
Noun
  • Long before the shooting, every school drop-off carried a quiet dread.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
  • With homes nearly toppling into the ocean and back-to-back floods and hurricanes amplifying our sense of dread, keeping track of all things El Niño can be overwhelming.
    — Rosanna Xia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of dread
Noun
  • That angst came to a head Tuesday when about a dozen runners from the Camas High School girls cross country team walked off the starting line when the gun went off in their race against Battle Ground, a fellow Washington state school.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The real trouble, and the reason for investor angst, lies below the surface of the XBI’s performance.
    — Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of angst
Noun
  • Indeed, at Cannes, Calvo sat through the screening in a state of torment.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But what her father left out of his memoir and Duong captured in her film was the untold torment of Ba leaving his mother, Nguyen Thị Bay, or grandmother Ba Noi, and close relatives behind in their ancestral village in Vietnam.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of torment
Noun
  • But this morning an air of foreboding awakened me, and my little fishing barometer was already descending past the 29 mark.
    — Gerald R. Hunter, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
  • In a departure from their previous work, the sonic landscape of the album is often dark and foreboding, matching the urgency of the political lyrics.
    — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of foreboding
Noun
  • The poll saw many changes following a Saturday filled with upsets.
    — Eric Olson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Boise State nearly pulled off the upset in Eugene in week one.
    — Ian Miller OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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