/kəʊld/-/koʊld/ adjective
having a low temperature
NOUNS
cold weather/climate
More cold weather is expected later this week.
a cold night/day
It was a cold night in December.
a cold winter
In a cold winter, we have the heating on all day.
a cold wind
A cold wind was blowing from the north.
cold water
He fell into the cold water of the North Sea.
a cold drink/beer
I need a nice cold drink.
cold food
The café only serves cold food at lunchtime.
a cold meal/dish
You can choose from a range of hot and cold dishes.
a cold floor/surface
We had to spend the night on the cold floor.
a cold country/place/house
The bears live mainly in cold countries.
a cold spell/snap (=a short period of cold weather)
A lot of plants died during the cold snap.
Apart from a cold spell in November, it was a mild winter.
ADVERBS
freezing cold (=extremely cold)
Take your gloves – it’s freezing cold out there.
bitterly cold (=extremely cold, in a way that hurts your skin)
It was a bitterly cold day in January.
unusually/exceptionally cold
Crops have suffered during this period of unusually cold weather.
ice cold
His skin was ice cold.
VERBS
feel cold
I feel really cold – can we put the heating on?
get cold also turn/grow cold more formal (=become cold)
The birds fly south before the weather turns cold.
eat sth cold/serve sth cold
You can eat the beans cold.
PHRASES
it’s cold
It’s cold in here – do you mind if I put the heating on?
THESAURUS:
A LITTLE COLD
cooldrink | place | breeze | air | weather | day | evening | morning | sheets: a little cold, especially in a way that feels pleasant:
He poured himself a cool drink.
Store the seeds in a cool place.
There was a nice cool breeze coming up from the river.
She took a breath of the cool night air.
The cooler weather was good for cycling.
She climbed between the cool sheets, pulling the covers up around her.
The air-conditioning keeps everyone cool.
chilly weather | wind | breeze | air | day | night| evening | room: a little cold, especially in a way that feels rather uncomfortable:
In November the weather began to turn chilly (=become chilly).
Residents stood shivering in the chilly night air.
It was a chilly evening when I left London.
The room was uncomfortably chilly.
It’s getting a bit chilly in here.
draughty BrE drafty AmE room | house | corridor | hall | platform | window: with cold air blowing in from outside, in a way that feels uncomfortable:
Old houses can be very draughty.
They waited for over an hour on a cold and draughty platform.
Plastic foam strips can be fitted around draughty windows to stop all the heat from escaping.
crisp day | morning | evening | air | weather: cold, dry, and clear, in a way that seems pleasant:
I love these crisp autumn mornings.
The clean crisp air in the mountains is good for your health.
frosty weather | day | morning | evening | ground: in frosty weather, the ground is covered in frost (=a white powder which consists of very small pieces of ice):
The frosty weather made the countryside look even more beautiful.
It was a bright frosty morning.
VERY COLD
freezing spoken weather | wind | water | night | day | evening | morning | house | room: very cold – used when this makes you feel very uncomfortable:
A freezing wind howled across the mountain.
The water in the pool was freezing at first.
The house was freezing, so I decided to light the fire.
Sally lay in bed in a freezing cold room.
It’s freezing cold outside.
You look absolutely freezing!
icy water | weather | conditions | wind | air | blast: very cold, especially when the temperature is below zero:
The boat sank in the icy waters of the lake.
Try to avoid going outdoors in icy weather.
She shivered in the icy wind and pulled her hat down over her ears.
An icy blast came through the trees (=a sudden very cold wind).
arctic conditions | weather | wasteland: extremely cold and unpleasant, with
snow and ice:
He would not survive for long in the arctic conditions. ANTONYMS → hot