/ kəʊld; NAmE koʊld/ adjective , noun , adverb
■ adjective
( cold·er , cold·est )
LOW TEMPERATURE
1.
having a lower than usual temperature; having a temperature lower than the human body :
I'm cold. Turn the heating up.
to feel / look cold
cold hands and feet
a cold room / house
hot and cold water in every room
Isn't it cold today?
It's freezing cold .
to get / turn colder
bitterly cold weather
the coldest May on record
( BrE )
The water has gone cold.
FOOD / DRINK
2.
not heated; cooled after being cooked :
a cold drink
Hot and cold food is available in the cafeteria.
cold chicken for lunch
UNFRIENDLY
3.
( of a person ) without emotion; unfriendly :
to give sb a cold look / stare / welcome
Her manner was cold and distant .
He was staring at her with cold eyes .
LIGHT / COLOURS
4.
seeming to lack warmth, in an unpleasant way :
clear cold light
cold grey skies
ROUTE
5.
not easy to find :
The police followed the robbers to the airport but then the trail went cold .
IN GAMES
6.
used in children's games to say that the person playing is not close to finding a person or thing, or to guessing the correct answer
UNCONSCIOUS
7.
out ~ [ not before noun ] ( informal ) unconscious :
He was knocked out cold in the second round.
FACTS
8.
the ~ facts / truth facts with nothing added to make them more interesting or pleasant
—see also coldly , coldness
•
IDIOMS
- a cold fish
- get / have cold feet
- give sb the cold shoulder
- in cold blood
- in the cold light of day
- leave sb cold
- pour / throw cold water on sth
—more at blood , blow verb , hot adjective
■ noun
LOW TEMPERATURE
1.
[ U ] a lack of heat or warmth; a low temperature, especially in the atmosphere :
He shivered with cold.
Don't stand outside in the cold .
She doesn't seem to feel the cold .
You'll catch your death of cold (= used to warn sb they could become very ill if they do not keep warm in cold weather) .
ILLNESS
2.
[ C ] (also less frequent the ˌcommon ˈcold [ sing. ]) a common illness that affects the nose and/or throat, making you cough, sneeze , etc. :
I've got a cold.
a bad / heavy / slight cold
to catch a cold
•
IDIOMS
- come in from the cold
- leave sb out in the cold
—more at catch verb
■ adverb
1.
( NAmE ) suddenly and completely :
His final request stopped her cold.
2.
without preparing :
I can't just walk in there cold and give a speech.
••
SYNONYMS
cold
cool ♦ freezing ♦ chilly ♦ lukewarm ♦ tepid
All these words describe sb/sth that has a low temperature.
cold
having a temperature that is lower than usual or lower than the human body; (of food or drink) not heated; cooled after being cooked:
I'm cold. Turn the heating up.
•
Outside it was bitterly cold.
•
a cold wind
•
hot and cold water
•
It's cold chicken for lunch.
cool
( often approving ) fairly cold, especially in a pleasant way:
a long cool drink
•
We found a cool place to sit.
freezing
extremely cold; having a temperature below 0° Celsius:
It's absolutely freezing outside.
•
I'm freezing!
chilly
( rather informal ) too cold to be comfortable:
Bring a coat. It might turn chilly later.
lukewarm
( often disapproving ) slightly warm, sometimes in an unpleasant way:
Her coffee was now lukewarm.
tepid
( often disapproving ) slightly warm, sometimes in an unpleasant way:
a jug of tepid water
lukewarm or tepid?
There is really no difference in meaning or use between these words.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
to be / feel cold / cool / freezing / chilly / lukewarm / tepid
to become / get / grow cold / cool / freezing / chilly
to keep sth cold / cool
cold / cool / freezing / chilly air / weather
a cold / cool / freezing / chilly wind
cold / cool / freezing / lukewarm / tepid water
a cold / cool / lukewarm / tepid shower / bath
cold / lukewarm / tepid tea / coffee / food
a cold / cool drink
It's cold / chilly / freezing outside.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English cald , of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koud and German kalt , also to Latin gelu frost.