cold storage
Americannoun
-
the storage of food, furs, etc., in an artificially cooled place.
-
a condition of suspension of action or activity; abeyance.
noun
-
the storage of things in an artificially cooled place for preservation
-
informal a state of temporary suspension
to put an idea into cold storage
Etymology
Origin of cold storage
First recorded in 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Lineage Logistics provides cold storage and blast freezing inside the massive structure.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
These vaccines also require cold storage and may cause unintended off-target effects.
From Science Daily • Mar. 17, 2026
The simple, stovetop kind: winter onions, softening in butter; carrots — either sweet from cold storage or newly pulled and still a little tender — sliced into coins.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2026
Half of new medicines hitting the global market from 2023 to 2027 are expected to require cold storage, up from 37% of products launched between 2013 and 2017, according to healthcare research firm IQVIA.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 5, 2025
You couldn’t knock down the skyscrapers when the tenants left; so instead boards went over the windows and doors, and the great shells of commerce were put in cold storage.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.