cold

[ kohld ]

/ koʊld /

adjective, cold·er, cold·est.

having a relatively low temperature; having little or no warmth: cold water; a cold day.

feeling an uncomfortable lack of warmth; chilled: The skaters were cold.

having a temperature lower than the normal temperature of the human body: cold hands.

lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate: cold reason.

not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive: a cold reply; a cold reception.

lacking sensual desire: She remained cold to his advances.

failing to excite feeling or interest: the cold precision of his prose.

unexcitable; imperturbable: cold impassivity.

depressing; dispiriting: the cold atmosphere of a hospital waiting room.

unconscious because of a severe blow, shock, etc.: I knocked him cold with an uppercut.

lacking the warmth of life; lifeless: When the doctor arrived, the body was already cold.

faint; weak: The dogs lost the cold scent.

(in games) distant from the object of search or the correct answer.

Slang. (in sports and games) not scoring or winning; ineffective: Cold shooting and poor rebounding were their undoing.

Art.

having cool colors, especially muted tones tending toward grayish blue.
being a cool color.

slow to absorb heat, as a soil containing a large amount of clay and hence retentive of moisture.

Metalworking. noting or pertaining to any process involving plastic deformation of a metal at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur because of the strain: cold working.

noun

the relative absence of heat: Everyone suffered from the intense cold.

the sensation produced by loss of heat from the body, as by contact with anything having a lower temperature than that of the body: He felt the cold of the steel door against his cheek.

cold weather: He can't take the cold.

Also called common cold. a respiratory disorder characterized by sneezing, sore throat, coughing, etc., caused by an allergic reaction or by a viral, bacterial, or mixed infection.

adverb

with complete competence, thoroughness, or certainty; absolutely: He learned his speech cold.

without preparation or prior notice: She had to play the lead role cold.

in an abrupt, unceremonious manner: He quit the job cold.

Metalworking. at a temperature below that at which recrystallization can occur (sometimes used in combination): to cold-hammer an iron bar; The wire was drawn cold.

Idioms for cold

catch/take cold, to get or suffer from a cold: We all caught cold during that dreadful winter.

go cold, Slang. (in sports and games) to become unproductive or ineffective; be unable to score.

in cold blood. blood(def 20).

in from the cold, out of a position or condition of exile, concealment, isolation, or alienation: Since the new government promised amnesty, fugitive rebels are coming in from the cold.

left out in the cold, neglected; ignored; forgotten: After the baby came, the young husband felt left out in the cold. Also out in the cold.

throw cold water on, to disparage; disapprove of; dampen the enthusiasm of: They threw cold water on her hopes to take acting classes.

Origin of cold

before 950; Middle English; Old English cald, ceald; cognate with Gothic kalds, Old Norse kaldr, German kalt, Dutch koud; akin to Latin gel- in gelidus gelid

SYNONYMS FOR cold

1 frigid, gelid, frozen, freezing.

4 indifferent, uninvolved, cool, unconcerned, imperturbable.

5 apathetic, unsympathetic, unfeeling, heartless, polite, formal, reserved, unfriendly, inimical, hostile.

7 uninspiring, dull.

8 calm, deliberate.

ANTONYMS FOR cold

1 hot.

4 warm, emotional.

13 warm.

synonym study for cold

1. Cold, chill, chilly, cool refer to various degrees of absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature possibly so low as to cause suffering: cold water. Chill suggests a penetrating cold which causes shivering and numbness: There was a chill wind blowing. Chilly is a weaker word, though it also connotes shivering and discomfort: a chilly room. Cool means merely somewhat cold, not warm: cool and comfortable. All have figurative uses.

OTHER WORDS FROM cold

cold·ish, adjective cold·ly, adverb cold·ness, noun o·ver·cold, adjective

o·ver·cold·ly, adverb

Words nearby cold

colchester, colchicine, colchicum, colchis, colcothar, cold, cold abscess, cold agglutination, cold agglutinin, cold brew, cold call

British Dictionary definitions for catch cold

cold

/ (kəʊld) /

adjective

having relatively little warmth; of a rather low temperature cold weather; cold hands

without sufficient or proper warmth this meal is cold

lacking in affection, enthusiasm, or warmth of feeling a cold manner

not affected by emotion; objective cold logic

dead

sexually unresponsive or frigid

lacking in freshness a cold scent; cold news

chilling to the spirit; depressing

(of a colour) having violet, blue, or green predominating; giving no sensation of warmth

metallurgy denoting or relating to a process in which work-hardening occurs as a result of the plastic deformation of a metal at too low a temperature for annealing to take place

(of a process) not involving heat, in contrast with traditional methods cold typesetting; cold technology

informal (of a seeker) far from the object of a search

denoting the contacting of potential customers, voters, etc, without previously approaching them in order to establish their interest cold mailing

cold comfort little or no comfort

cold steel the use of bayonets, knives, etc, in combat

from cold without advance notice; without giving preparatory information

in cold blood showing no passion; deliberately; ruthlessly

leave someone cold informal to fail to excite someone the performance left me cold

throw cold water on or pour cold water on informal to be unenthusiastic about or discourage

noun

the absence of heat regarded as a positive force the cold took away our breath

the sensation caused by loss or lack of heat

in the cold or out in the cold informal neglected; ignored

an acute viral infection of the upper respiratory passages characterized by discharge of watery mucus from the nose, sneezing, etc

catch a cold slang to make a loss; lose one's investment

adverb

informal without preparation he played his part cold

informal, mainly US and Canadian thoroughly; absolutely she turned him down cold

Derived forms of cold

coldish, adjective coldly, adverb coldness, noun

Word Origin for cold

Old English ceald; related to Old Norse kaldr, Gothic kalds, Old High German kalt; see cool

Medical definitions for catch cold

cold

[ kōld ]

n.

A viral infection characterized by inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the upper respiratory passages and usually accompanied by malaise, fever, chills, coughing, and sneezing. coryza acute rhinitis common cold coryza

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (1 of 2)

catch cold

Also, catch one's death (of cold). Become infected with a cold virus, contract a bad cold, as in Jane manages to catch cold on every important business trip, or Put on your hat or you'll catch your death. The first term originally (16th century) meant becoming chilled by exposure to cold and took on its present meaning in the late 1600s. The hyperbolic variant, often shortened, is somewhat newer.

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (2 of 2)

cold

In addition to the idioms beginning with cold

cold cash
cold comfort
cold feet, get
cold fish
cold hands, warm heart
cold shoulder
cold shower
cold snap
cold storage
cold sweat
cold turkey

also see:

blow hot and cold
catch cold
come in from the cold
in a cold sweat
in cold blood
in cold storage
in the cold light of day
knock out (cold)
leave one cold
make one's blood run cold
out cold
out in the cold
pour cold water on
stone cold
stop cold

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cold

adjective, cold·er, cold·est.

noun

adverb

Idioms for cold

Origin of cold

SYNONYMS FOR cold

ANTONYMS FOR cold

synonym study for cold

OTHER WORDS FROM cold

Words nearby cold

British Dictionary definitions for catch cold

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of cold

Word Origin for cold

Medical definitions for catch cold

n.

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cold

adjective, cold·er, cold·est.

noun

adverb

Idioms for cold

Origin of cold

SYNONYMS FOR cold

ANTONYMS FOR cold

synonym study for cold

OTHER WORDS FROM cold

Words nearby cold

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for catch cold

adjective

noun

adverb

Derived forms of cold

Word Origin for cold

Medical definitions for catch cold

n.

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with catch cold (2 of 2)

British Dictionary definitions for catch cold