take cold

Variant of cold

adjective

  1. of a temperature significantly or noticeably lower than average, normal, expected, or comfortable; very chilly; frigid: a cold wind
    1. without the proper heat or warmth: this soup is cold
    2. without the proper heat, warmth, or warm-up period: said of tires, engines, etc.
  2. dead
  3. feeling chilled
  4. without warmth of feeling; unfeeling; indifferent: a cold personality
  5. not cordial or kind; unfriendly: a cold reception
  6. sexually frigid
  7. depressing or saddening; gloomy: to realize the cold truth
  8. not involving one's feelings; detached; objective: cold logic
  9. designating or having colors that suggest cold, as tones of blue, green, or gray
  10. still far from what is being sought: said of the seeker
  11. not strong or fresh; faint or stale: a cold scent
  12. Informal unconscious: the boxer was knocked cold
  13. Informal unlucky or ineffective: a cold streak in baseball

Origin: ME < OE (Anglian) cald < IE base *gel-, cold > cool, Ger kalt, L gelidus

adverb

  1. ☆ absolutely; completely: she was stopped cold
  2. ☆ with complete mastery: the actor had the lines down cold
  3. with little or no preparation: to enter a game cold

noun

    1. absence of heat; lack of warmth: often thought of as an active force
    2. a low temperature; esp., one below freezing
  1. the sensation produced by a loss or absence of heat
  2. cold weather
  3. a contagious, viral infection of the respiratory passages, esp. of the nose and throat, characterized by an acute inflammation of the mucous membranes, nasal discharge, malaise, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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