cold

1 adjective

1 OBJECTS/SURFACES/LIQUIDS/ROOMS ETC having a low temperature: a blast of cold air | We slept on the cold ground. | feel cold: The office always feels so cold first thing on Monday morning. | ice/stone/freezing cold (=very cold): The radiator is stone cold; isn't the heating working? | as cold as ice (=very cold) | go cold BrE get cold (=become cold): My tea's gone cold. | Come and eat or your dinner will get cold!

2 WEATHER when there is cold weather, the temperature of the air is very low: It was so cold this morning I had to scrape the ice off my windshield. | cold winter/evening/January etc: the coldest winter on record | be cold out/outside: Put on a coat; it's cold out. | get cold (=become cold): The weather gets colder around the middle of October. | turn cold (=become cold or colder, especially suddenly)

3 PEOPLE be/feel/look/get cold if you are cold, your body is at a low temperature: Could you turn up the heater, I'm cold. | be blue with cold (=be so cold that your skin looks slightly blue) | as cold as ice (=very cold): My feet are as cold as ice.

4 LACKING FEELING lacking normal human feelings such as sympathy, pity, humour etc: a cold, calculated murder | He's a very cold man, very aloof and arrogant.

5 UNFRIENDLY unfriendly and behaving as though you do not care much about other people: Martin was really cold towards me at the party.

6 FOOD EATEN COLD cold food is cooked but not eaten hot: We brought cold chicken and a bottle of wine to the picnic. | a cold buffet which the guests helped themselves to

7 get/have cold feet informal to suddenly feel that you are not brave enough to do something you planned to do: You're not getting cold feet about marrying him, are you?

8 give sb the cold shoulder informal to deliberately ignore someone or be unfriendly to them, especially because they have upset or offended you

9 cold (hard) cash AmE informal money in the form of paper money and coins rather than cheques or credit cards

10 leave sb cold to not feel interested in or affected by something in any way: Opera just leaves me cold - I can't understand why people like it.

11 cold shower a shower 1 (2) without any hot water: take a cold shower (=used to tell someone to stop feeling sexually excited)

12 TRAIL/SCENT if someone's trail or scent is cold, you cannot find out which way they have gone because it has been a long time since they passed a particular place: We had the dogs after him, but the trail had gone cold.

13 GAME (never before noun) used in a children's game, to say that someone is far away from the hidden object they are trying to find: You're getting colder!

14 LIGHT/COLOUR a cold colour or light reminds you of things that are cold: The moon shone with a cold, clear light. | in the cold light of day (=in the morning, when you see things clearly): In the cold light of day, we wondered whether we'd made the right decision.

15 cold steel literary a weapon such as a knife or sword

-see also: in cold blood blood 1 (3), cold fish fish 1 (8), blow hot and cold blow 1 (15), cold comfort comfort 1 (7), pour cold water over/on pour (7), a cold sweat sweat 2 (3) - coldly adverb - coldness noun (U) USAGE NOTE: COLD WORD CHOICE: cold, cool, hot, warm, chilly, freezing, boiling, baking, heated Cold means at a lower temperature than cool, often one that is not comfortable. Cool often suggests a pleasantly low temperature: I hate cold weather. | It's lovely and cool in here. In the same way, hot suggests a higher temperature than warm, or a temperature which would not be comfortable for a long period. Warm often suggests a pleasantly high temperature: The handle is too hot to touch. | I could lie in a warm bath for hours. When talking of cold air or weather people often say it is chilly or, if it is very cold, freezing or bitterly cold . Very hot weather is boiling or baking . Cold weather may be called the cold: My feet were purple with the cold (=because of the cold, NOT purple because of cold).| I don't like the cold (NOT I don't like cold). A cold is an illness: My nose runs when I have a cold (NOT have cold).).| I've caught a cold from my husband (NOT caught cold). Compare: I got cold waiting for the bus without a coat (=felt cold, not the same as... got a cold = caught the illness). When talking about people's character or behaviour, cold usually means lacking any emotion or friendly feelings: a cold start | His manner towards her was very cold. Cool can mean less friendly, enthusiastic etc than usual: When Bill arrived, more than an hour later, he got a rather cool reception. Cool can also mean calm and not getting excited or showing your emotions: a cool head in a crisis. Warm often means friendly and welcoming: a warm smile. Heated arguments, discussions etc are ones in which people disagree and get angry. 2 noun

1 (U) the cold a very low temperature outside: Don't go out in the cold without your coat!

2 (C) a slight illness that makes it difficult to breathe through your nose and makes your throat hurt: I've got a bad cold. | catch a cold (=become ill): Keep your feet dry so you don't catch a cold. | catch your death of cold (=used to warn someone that they may become very ill if they do not keep themselves warm in cold weather)

-see also: common cold

3 come in from the cold to become accepted or recognized, especially by a powerful group of people

4 leave sb out in the cold informal to not include someone in an activity: If you don't start working harder, you'll be left out in the cold when it comes time for promotion.

3 adverb

1 AmE suddenly and completely: Then Paul stopped cold. "What was that noise?"

2 out cold unconscious, especially because you have been hit on the head: knock sb (out) cold (=hit someone so that they become unconscious)

3 without preparation: I can't just get up there and make a speech cold!