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cold shoulder
noun
: intentionally cold or unsympathetic treatment
got the cold shoulder from an old friend
Examples of cold shoulder in a Sentence
at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder
Recent Examples on the Web
The omission sparked some spirited posts on social media about Young and other players who received a cold shoulder from voters.
—Chantz Martin, Fox News, 1 Feb. 2025
The actress wore the brand’s cold shoulder midi dress, which featured a plunging neckline with gold-tone bead detailing.
—Julia Teti, WWD, 31 Jan. 2025
All of these are considered nonverbal cold shoulder cues.
—Kristen Waggoner, Newsweek, 21 Jan. 2025
And contrary to what Tyler might hope, neither would an American cold shoulder, which would only entrench Israeli hawks -- as Eisenhower's distant approach to Israel did to the hard-liners of Ben-Gurion's generation.
—Foreign Affairs, 1 Mar. 2013
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Word History
First Known Use
1816, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near cold shoulder
Cite this Entry
“Cold shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20shoulder. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Kids Definition
cold shoulder
noun
: treatment that is purposely unfriendly
cold-shoulder
verb
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