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cold

cold

171 1.0
A common virus infection of the nose and throat
  • noun
  • /koʊld/
translation icon : resfriado
  • Many people catch a cold during the winter months, leading to symptoms like a runny nose and sneezing.
  • common cold
  • get a cold
  • catch a cold

Oh, I've got a summer cold, it doesn't feel like COVID.

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Examples

  • You might catch a cold.

  • That was like a week and then I got this terrible cold which I still have.

  • I just have a little bit of a cold.

  • Do you have a cold?

  • What's the first thing you do when you get a cold?

  • Annie, the cook, was coming down with a cold and was in a bad humor.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Edward was suffering from a cold, but you would never guess his discomfort.

    Academic text (2004)
  • He has a cold this week, so we can't see him till Saturday.

  • I caught a cold, and my cold became bronchitis that lingered for weeks.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I've got a cold.

Synonyms

common cold
vscold
17 1.1

A mild virus infection of the nose and throat that causes a runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat

is the identical medical idea but expressed as a single shorter word
7 3.5

A sickness that affects the nose, throat, airways, or lungs

is limited to mild infections of the nose and upper tract only
head cold
vscold
5 1.8

A mild viral sickness that makes your nose stuffy, causes sneezing, and may give you a headache

focuses more on runny nose and sore throat rather than headache
URI
vscold
  • Specialized
1 3.4

An infection of the nose or throat that is like a cold

is the everyday term for the usual mild viral infection in that area
nasopharyngitis
vscold
  • Specialized
1 6.3

Swelling and irritation of the area behind the nose and above the throat that causes cold symptoms

covers the wider mild viral infection rather than only that specific inflammation

Idioms

50 7.1

Calmly and without pity when doing something violent

cold feet
  • Informal
38 4.3

A sudden feeling of fear or doubt that stops you doing something planned

out cold
  • Informal
27 6.9

Unconscious or sleeping very deeply

cold turkey
  • Informal
21 6.7

Suddenly stopping a habit or drug completely without cutting down first

out in the cold
  • Informal
16 7.4

Left out by a group of people

cold shoulder
  • Informal
8 4.6

To ignore someone on purpose to show you dislike them

7 8.2

Stop a habit or addiction all at once

cold fish
  • Offensive
5 7.6

A person who is distant and not friendly

cold as ice
  • Informal
4 7.2

Not showing any feeling or kindness to others

hot and cold
  • Informal
4 6.8

A person who feels interested one moment and not interested the next

3 8.1

Feel sudden, strong fear or shock

stone cold sober
  • Informal
3 5.6

Not affected by alcohol or drugs at all

knocked out cold
  • Informal
2 7.2

Completely unconscious after a hard hit to the head

1 8.1

To feel very excited about something and then lose interest often

1 8.4

To change your feelings or opinion often and without warning

1 7.4

To say things that make people less excited about a plan

stone cold
  • Informal
1 3.6

Very cold with no warmth

To return to a safe or accepted group after being left out

1 9.9

Very cold in a way that feels unpleasant

cold as balls
  • Offensive
1 9.9

People say this to mean very cold in a joking, exaggerated way

9.9

Showing no warmth or feeling

cold day in Hell
  • Informal
9.4

An event that is very unlikely to happen

A deep feeling of cold that goes into the body

cold as charity
  • Archaic
9.9

Acting kind but not showing real care

Compounds

365 3.5

A long period of political and military tension between the United States and the Soviet Union without direct fighting

34 1.0

Very cold, like frozen water

25 1.0

A period when the air is much colder than usual

cold front
  • Specialized
19 3.3

A line of colder air moving into warmer air

17 1.1

A mild virus infection of the nose and throat that causes a runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat

15 1.3

Very cold, at or below freezing

14 3.6

A long time of tense relations between countries without open fighting

12 3.7

A sweat that appears while you feel cold because you are scared or ill

9 2.0

Sliced meats like turkey or ham served cold for sandwiches and platters

A medicine that relieves cold symptoms like cough or blocked nose

8 3.2

Small painful blisters on the lips or around the mouth that a virus causes

6 3.2

A short sudden time of very cold weather that is colder than usual

cold fusion
  • Specialized
5 8.9

A claimed way to make energy by joining parts of atoms at room temperature that most scientists do not accept

5 7.2

A small thing that does little to make you feel better after something bad

cold-blooded
  • Specialized
5 3.7

An animal whose body temperature changes with the air or water temperature

5 1.8

A mild viral sickness that makes your nose stuffy, causes sneezing, and may give you a headache

cold sober
  • Informal
4 6.2

Completely free of alcohol or drugs

cold water
  • Informal
4 6.3

Words or actions that make people less excited about a plan

3 3.9

Money in notes and coins that you can use right away

3 3.3

A thick, soft cream that cleans the face and keeps the skin soft

2 4.6

A fixed unfriendly look that shows anger or disapproval

cold hand
  • Literature
1 8.2

An unfriendly touch or a feeling that danger is near

1 1.0

A breakfast food eaten without heating, usually served with milk

1 3.5

A short period of unusually cold weather

1 3.7

A place that keeps food or goods very cold to stop them from spoiling

cold-water flat
  • Archaic
1 8.8

An apartment in an old building that has no hot running water or central heating

cold frame
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A low box with a clear top that protects young plants from cold and helps them grow

1 4.1

Very cold with no warmth left

cold storage
  • Informal
1 4.9

A state in which a plan or project is left unused for later

cold storage
  • Specialized
1 4.4

Low-cost storage for computer data that is rarely used

1 4.0

A long period of much colder than usual weather that affects a large area

A metal tool for cutting and breaking stone or brick without heating

cold duck
  • Archaic
9.3

A pink sparkling wine that people make by mixing red and white wines and serve cold

cold gangrene
  • Specialized
7.6

When blood stops flowing to a body part, the tissue dies and becomes dry and dark brown

7.2

A frozen treat on a stick like a popsicle that you eat to cool down

cold cathode
  • Specialized
6.7

A part inside some lamps and electronic devices that gives out electrons without being heated

cold medium
  • Archaic
8.8

A way of communicating that gives little detail and asks the audience to imagine the rest

cold rubber
  • Specialized
5.3

A man-made rubber made at low temperatures that is tougher and used for car tires

cold shower
  • Informal
5.1

A sudden event that shocks or disappoints someone

A decision made without feeling or pity that harms people

A calm way of behaving in stressful situations

cold-bloodedness
  • Offensive
6.7

Not showing pity and acting cruel, or having a body temperature that changes with the air

cold spell
  • Jargon
8.1

A magic power that makes very cold air and freezes people or things

A tomato hollowed out and filled with a salad, served cold

cold treatment
  • Specialized
3.6

Applying cold to the body reduces pain and swelling

cold-temperate
  • Specialized
6.5

Climates or waters in the cooler parts of temperate regions

Very low in temperature and clearly unfriendly

perishingly cold
  • Informal
7.2

Very cold in a way that makes being outside difficult

How Severe

pneumonia
  • Specialized
121 4.3
flu
354 1.0
cold
171 1.0
sniffle
45 3.4

Surface Forms

cold singular
colds plural

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the illness called a cold is that people long ago linked catching sickness to cold weather, so the name for the chilly condition was also used for the common winter illness.