chill
Americannoun
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coldness, especially a moderate but uncomfortably penetrating coldness.
the chill of evening.
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a sensation of cold, usually with shivering.
She felt a slight chill from the open window.
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a feeling of sudden fear, anxiety, or alarm.
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sudden coldness of the body, as during the cold stage of an ague.
fevers and chills.
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a depressing influence or sensation.
His presence cast a chill over everyone.
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lack of warmth of feeling; unfriendliness; coolness.
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Foundry. an inserted object or a surface in a mold capable of absorbing large amounts of heat, used to harden the surface of a casting or to increase its rate of solidification at a specific point.
adjective
verb (used without object)
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to become cold.
The earth chills when the sun sets.
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to be seized with a chill; shiver with cold or fear.
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Foundry. (of a casting) to become hard on the surface by contact with a chill or chills.
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Slang. to calm down; relax (often followed byout ).
verb (used with object)
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to affect with cold; make chilly.
The rain has chilled me to the bone.
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to make cool.
Chill the wine before serving.
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to depress; discourage; deter.
The news chilled his hopes.
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Foundry. to harden the surface of (a casting) by casting it in a mold having a chill or chills.
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Slang. to kill; murder.
idioms
noun
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a moderate coldness
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a sensation of coldness resulting from a cold or damp environment, or from a sudden emotional reaction
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a feverish cold
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a check on enthusiasm or joy
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a metal plate placed in a sand mould to accelerate cooling and control local grain growth
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another name for bloom 1
adjective
verb
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to make or become cold
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(tr) to cool or freeze (food, drinks, etc)
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(tr)
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to depress (enthusiasm, etc)
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to discourage
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(tr) to cool (a casting or metal object) rapidly in order to prevent the formation of large grains in the metal
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slang (intr) to relax; calm oneself
Synonym Usage
See cold.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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chillnessnoun
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overchillverb
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prechillverb (used with object)
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chillingadjective
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overchilladjective
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unchilledadjective
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well-chilledadjective
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chillinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chillsimple
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chillssimple
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have chilledperfect
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has chilledperfect
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am chillingprogressive
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are chillingprogressive
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is chillingprogressive
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have been chillingperfect progressive
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has been chillingperfect progressive
Past
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chilledsimple
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had chilledperfect
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was chillingprogressive
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were chillingprogressive
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had been chillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chill
First recorded before 900; Middle English chile, Old English cele, ci(e)le “coolness”; cf. cool, cold; akin to Latin gelāre “to freeze,” gelum “frost, cold,” glaciēs “ice” ( see gelato, gelid, glacier)
Explanation
A sharp burst of cold air or icy temperatures is a chill. The chill of a January day in New England might make you dream of moving to New Mexico. You'll feel a chill when someone opens a window in the winter, or notice a chill in the air on a cool day in September. Another kind of chill makes you shiver, but it's caused by illness and fever rather than a cold breeze: "Symptoms of the flu include chills and headache." A cold attitude is also a chill, as when a chill in the room makes you realize your friends are angry at each other.
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.
See Examples For:
Second, it could chill freedom of speech and assembly.
From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026
“The mere prospect there could be a call is enough to chill agency heads,” Graham Steele, a former Treasury assistant secretary for financial institutions, told me.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
If today’s feverish financial markets catch a chill, the city could have to start paying retirees directly out of general tax dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
When selecting a red to chill, the consensus is to go for something lighter-bodied and fruity that's low in tannins and has a lower alcohol content.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
They talked in huddles, stamping their feet, their breath steaming in the chill evening air.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
“He’s been my muse on this street for a while. … He just roams around the store, chills, does his little nap thing, and hangs out with everybody, so he’s very social.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Local authorities said the man in São Paulo had "exhibited symptoms such as fever", while the man in Rio de Janeiro, from Belgium, had shown "viral symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhoea".
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Other users reported temperature-related symptoms such as chills, feeling cold, hot flashes, and fever-like sensations.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
A new terminal that chills and exports LNG just came online on the Gulf Coast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
That infection, Reyburn wrote, was first obvious around July 23 when Garfield began having chills and high fever.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
About 10 years after first reading about Manson, she made a discovery that chilled her to her core: She was not only related to Manson — she was his granddaughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
This summer, though, I’ve been turning them into a chilled blueberry soup with yogurt and buttermilk.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
Those distinct layers of chilled dough and butter are what create puff pastry’s dramatic height, so if the sheet begins to feel limp or greasy, return it to the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Whether buying a chilled coconut at the beach or paying rent, Brazil's free PIX system has become the dominant way of making payments in Latin America's largest economy, with just a smartphone.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
Here we sat, our backs chilled by the ancient stone, our ears and hearts warmed by the music.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
That the film also had gruesome practical effects, brilliant lead performances and an unforgettably chilling score helped, too.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
He is now ready to offload his Southern California home, with hopes that its chilling past won’t scare potential buyers.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
In a statement as chilling as it is insulting, Davis suggests that the protesters triggered a “Mother Hen” instinct that led the justice to rule against the administration on the birthright citizenship case.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
Amnesty International said the raids indicated "the chilling reality of what the city has become: a place where you can be criminalised simply for what's on your bookshelf".
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The rain was still falling, a thin drizzle that traveled horizontally in the wind, soaking through his supposedly waterproof clothing, mixing with his sweat and his dirt, chilling him to the bone.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
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.
