cold snap

American  

noun

1. a sudden onset of a relatively brief period of cold weather.

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cold snap British  

noun

1. a sudden short spell of cold weather

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cold snap Idioms  

1. Also, cold spell. A short period of unusually cold weather, as in The recent cold snap has threatened the crop. The first expression presumably likens snap in the sense of “a sudden bite or cut” to sudden unexpected cold. The variant is more obvious, spell having been used in the sense of “a bout or turn at something” since the early 1700s. [Early 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of cold snap

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cold snap

"The problem is that can be quite risky. If we get a cold snap and the customers are lower than they think they are, they may suddenly be urgent."

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

The latest numbers showing steep increases also don’t capture February’s cold snap across large parts of the country.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026

The planet experienced its fifth-hottest January on record despite a cold snap that swept across the United States and Europe, the EU's climate monitor said Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

At least 16 people have died in New York City during the cold snap, city officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

They jostled and bumped one another, laughing, stamping their feet against the cold snap that had surprised the city this week, the last gasp of winter before spring began in earnest.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

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Related Words

• cold spell
• cold wave
• cold weather

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