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
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.
Just over two years ago, Taylor placed a cold call to STRIVR, a Stanford University spinout startup that has created VR experiences for clients such as American football teams at the college and NFL levels. IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2018 More content is being created, more cold calls are made, and more emails are sent. Vazghen Nikolian, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 As a result, the company quickly gained traction, with one of Farrelly's early cold calls leading to a major contract that gave him 50 patients overnight. Mike Winters,lauren Shamo, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2025 This could be far more energizing than repeating the same script on another cold call. Aliza Knox, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold call

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cold call was in 1966

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Cite this Entry

“Cold call.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20call. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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