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Glite Dictionary
cold snap

cold snap

6 3.2
A short sudden time of very cold weather that is colder than usual
  • noun
  • /koʊld næp/
  • UK
translation icon : ola de frío
  • The Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless was launched in 1981 after 17 homeless men died during a cold snap.
  • a sudden cold snap
  • the cold snap hit
  • a winter cold snap

Examples

  • There had been a slight thaw, and then a sudden cold snap, and icicles hung thick and glistening from the tree branches.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • There's a cold snap coming tonight.

  • Then, in late March, the first cold snap of winter hit.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The lake began to freeze during a cold snap the week before Christmas.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • There's a cold snap coming tonight.

    Ice Spiders (2007)

  • Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, has seen snow for the first time in 89 years, as a cold snap continues to grip several South American nations.

    Blog text (29)

  • The sudden cold snap that heralded the certainty of winter had caused the male peacocks to molt in unison.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • For example, years of above-average precipitation may be interspersed with years of drought; severe storms may increase in frequency and intensity; and sudden cold snaps may damage crops that have not been hardened by cold spring and autumn temperatures.

    Academic text (1995)

  • The lake began to freeze during a cold snap the week before Christmas.

  • While the Northeast is expected to have a cold snap this weekend, temperatures are poised to rebound by midweek.

Synonyms

snap
vscold snap
  • UK
9 4.3

A short period of unexpectedly cold weather

is sudden in how it begins rather than focused on surprise
cold spell
vscold snap
  • UK
1 3.5

A short period of unusually cold weather

is sudden in how it starts rather than beginning gradually

Antonyms

heat wave
30 3.2

A period of very hot weather that lasts several days

How Cold

deep freeze
  • UK
2 4.3
cold wave
  • UK
1 4.0
cold snap
  • UK
6 3.2
chill
87 1.0
cool
65 1.0

Surface Forms

cold snap singular
cold snaps plural

Morphology

cold + snap

The meaning 'a short, sudden period of unusually cold weather' is directly and compositionally built from 'cold' (low temperature) plus 'snap' (a short, sudden occurrence). This straightforward adjective+noun pattern is regular and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Cold snap uses cold + snap: think of a sudden 'snap'—a quick, sharp change—when cold weather arrives. So it means 'a short, sudden period of unusually cold weather'.