the cold shoulder
noun
: cold and unfriendly treatment from a person known to one
He got the cold shoulder from his former boss when he saw him at a restaurant.
Most of the other professors gave him the cold shoulder.
Examples of the cold shoulder in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Some retailers who had been giving us the cold shoulder decided to give LIVSN a chance.
—
Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2023
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Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2023
Cite this Entry
“The cold shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20cold%20shoulder. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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