cold

SayKOHLD/koʊld//kəʊld/

Adjectivecolder, coldest

Noun pluralcolds (some meanings)

31 meanings of cold

Practice

1
adjective
Not warm, with a low temperature, like ice, snow, or a winter wind.
The water in the lake was too cold for swimming.
Put on a coat. It's cold outside today.
UsageFood can go cold or get cold.
Similarchilly, cool, freezing, icy, frigid
Oppositehot, warm
2
low temperaturesnoununcountable
A lack of heat, like the kind you feel in winter weather.
The cold outside made my fingers hurt.
These plants cannot live through the cold of winter.
UsageSay stand in the cold.
Similarchill
Oppositeheat, warmth
3
illnessnouncountable
A common illness that blocks up your nose and can sometimes give you a fever.
She stayed home from school because she had a cold.
Wash your hands often so you do not catch a cold.
UsageSay I have a cold or I caught a cold.
Similarbug, chill
Note
4
emotionally distantadjective
Not friendly or kind, showing no warm feelings for other people, or even being heartless.
Like a door that stays closed no matter how many times you knock.
He gave us a cold look and walked away.
The new boss seems cold, but maybe he is just shy.
UsageSay cold to someone. Give someone the cold shoulder means ignore them.
Similarfrosty, icy, distant, unfriendly, aloof
Oppositewarm, friendly, affectionate
5
feeling chillyadjective
Feeling that your body is not warm enough.
I'm cold. Can we turn up the heat?
The children got cold waiting for the bus in the snow.
UsageSay I'm cold (not ~~incorrect: I have cold~~).
Similarchilly, freezing, chilled, frozen, shivery
Oppositehot
6
adverb
At a low temperature, without being heated.
You can eat leftover pizza cold if you like.
Wash these shirts cold so they do not shrink.
UsageSay serve it cold. Coldly means in an unfriendly way.
Oppositehot
7
adjective
Of a search or a police case, no longer giving new clues, so it stops moving forward.
The police kept looking, but the trail went cold after a week.
The detective took another look at the robbery, which had been cold for twenty years.
UsageSay the trail went cold.
Similarstale, dead
Oppositehot, fresh
Note
8
unannouncedadjective
Not prepared at all, or done without any practice or warning.
She sent a cold email to a company, asking if they had any jobs.
Nobody likes getting a cold call from a stranger trying to sell something.
UsageOften a cold call or a cold email.
Similarunprepared, unready
Oppositeready, prepared, primed
Note

Less common meanings

9
impartialadjective
Looking at facts fairly, without letting feelings change your view.
Try to take a cold look at the facts before you decide.
Put your feelings aside and look at the cold facts.
UsageOften the cold facts or the cold truth.
Similarimpartial, neutral, objective, unbiased, detached
Oppositebiased, partial, emotional
Note
10
unconsciousadjective
Not awake at all, like after a hard hit or in a very deep sleep.
The punch knocked the boxer cold in the second round.
By nine o'clock the kids were out cold on the couch.
UsageSay out cold or knocked him cold.
Similarunconscious, senseless, out
Oppositeconscious, awake
Note
11
left outnounfigurativelycountable or uncountable
A hard, lonely situation where no one helps you or wants you.
When the factory closed, the workers were left out in the cold.
When the band got famous, their first drummer was left out in the cold.
UsageOften left out in the cold.
Note
12
adjectivecolloquial
Of a player or team, playing badly for a while, especially by missing shots or not scoring.
Our best shooter went cold and missed eight shots in a row.
The team was cold all night and scored only one goal.
UsageSay a player went cold. The opposite is hot.
Oppositehot
Note
13
dreadadjective
Feeling sudden fear or worry deep in your body.
She went cold when she saw the police car outside her house.
I felt cold with fear when the lights suddenly went out.
UsageSay someone went cold with fear.
Similarapprehensive
Note
14
adverb
Without taking time to get ready or practice first.
He played the new song cold, without one practice run.
Don't go into the meeting cold. Read the report first.
UsageSay go in cold or do it cold.
Similarspontaneously
Note
15
far off (game)adjective
Far away from the hidden thing you are looking for in a guessing game.
"You're cold!" she shouted. "The toy isn't anywhere near the sofa."
He searched the kitchen, but his sister told him he was still cold.
UsageIn the game, say you're cold or getting colder.
Oppositewarm, hot
16
by heartadjective
Known so well that you can repeat it without any mistakes.
She knows her multiplication tables cold.
After weeks of practice, he had the dance steps cold.
UsageSay know it cold.
Similarpat
Note
17
blue (colors)adjective
Having a bluish look, like the colors of ice or winter.
Like the colors you see on a frozen lake instead of in a campfire.
She painted the night sky in cold blues and grays.
The room in the picture felt sad because the artist used so many cold colors.
UsageSay cold colors for colors such as blue and bluish gray.
Similarbluish
Oppositewarm
Note
18
impressiveadjectiveslang
Very good, stylish, or impressive.
Did you hear her new track? The beat is cold.
His sneakers are cold. I've never seen that style before.
Similarsick, dope, fire, fresh, slick
Oppositelame, wack
Note
19
corneredadjective
Trapped, with no way to escape or win.
Like a mouse trapped in a corner with the cat right in front of it.
The police had the robber cold, with no way for him to run.
When the teacher found the notes in his desk, she had him cold.
UsageSay we have him cold.
Similarcornered, trapped
Note
20
adjective
Getting little interest or not very active, like a slow market or an idea people no longer want.
The toy was a big hit last year, but now the market for it is cold.
Home sales stayed cold for months after interest rates went up.
UsageSay an idea has gone cold.
Oppositehot
Note
21
faint scentadjective
So old and faint that dogs can hardly smell it anymore.
Like the smell of cookies the day after baking: almost gone.
The trail was cold, and the dogs walked in circles.
The hounds sniffed around the old den, but the scent was cold.
Similarfaint, stale, old
Oppositefresh, hot, warm, strong
22
adjectiveobsolete
Dull and boring, with nothing interesting or exciting in it.
What a deal of cold business doth a man misspend the better part of life in!
1641, Ben Jonson, Discoveries Made upon Men and MatterHere, cold means dull and boring, with no life or interest.
Similardull, boring, bland, flat, lifeless
Note
23
bluntlyadverbdated
In a direct, honest way, without trying to make bad news sound nicer.
Similarbluntly, frankly, straight, plainly, candidly
Oppositegently, tactfully, diplomatically
Note
24
weak sensesadjectiveobsolete
Slow to feel or notice things, not sharp or quick.
Smell this business with a sense as cold / As is a dead man's nose.
c. 1610, William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”Here, cold means dull and weak in sensing, not sharp at all.
Note
25
adjectiveobsolete
Mild in taste or smell, not sharp or stinging.
Similarmild, neutral
Note
26
adverbUSus
Suddenly and fully, so that someone or something stops right away.
Max stopped cold when he heard someone call his name.
The big storm stopped our camping plans cold.
UsageSay stopped cold, like stopped dead.
Similardead
Note
27
adjective
Having no electrical power going through it, like a wire that is turned off.
28
adjective
Used so rarely that a computer can keep it in slower, cheaper storage.
29
adjective
Having no real bullets inside, so it is not ready to fire.
30
adjectivecolloquial
Not radioactive, so it does not give off harmful radiation.
31
nounslang
The crusty bits that form in the corners of your eyes while you sleep.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of cold apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 4–5, 7–10, 12–13, 15–22, 24–25

From Old English 'cald', going back through old Germanic words meaning 'cold'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

English cold descends from Old English cald. en.wiktionary.org
The word has earlier Germanic ancestors meaning cold. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 2–3, 11

The noun comes from Old English 'cald', from old Germanic and Indo-European roots meaning 'cold'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

The noun comes from Old English cald. en.wiktionary.org
The Old English noun has Germanic ancestry associated with cold. en.wiktionary.org
Its Indo-European root means ‘to be cold, to freeze’. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 14, 23, 26

From Old English 'calde' ('coldly'), formed from the adjective 'cold'.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

The adverb cold derives from Old English calde, meaning coldly. en.wiktionary.org
The Old English adverb was formed from the adjective cold. en.wiktionary.org