cold

Meanings

1. Having a low temperature.
2. Unfriendly, or showing no kind feeling.

Example sentences

• "It is very cold today, so wear a coat."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "Please close the window, the room is getting cold."

  Level A1, Meaning 1

• "She gave him a cold look and said nothing."

  Level B1, Meaning 2

• "I think I am catching a cold."

  Level A2, Meaning 1

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• cool : Cool is a pleasant, low temperature, such as a cool breeze. Cold is lower and often uncomfortable.

Word family and forms

Forms: colder, coldest

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "cold".

• cold weather
• cold water
• catch a cold
• ice cold
• cold and wet
• a cold reply

Idioms and phrases

cold feet

To feel nervous and want to stop just before doing something important.

"He got cold feet the night before the wedding."

give someone the cold shoulder

To ignore someone on purpose.

"After the argument she gave him the cold shoulder for days."

Origin

Cold is a very old English word. It comes from Old English cald, which belongs to a family of Germanic words that all meant to be cold or to freeze.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

How to remember it

Say "c-c-cold" and shiver: the hard C at the start sounds like teeth chattering.

Test yourself

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