chill

[ chil ]

/ tʃɪl /

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See synonyms for: chill / chilled / chiller / chillest on Thesaurus.com

noun

coldness, especially a moderate but uncomfortably penetrating coldness: the chill of evening.

a sensation of cold, usually with shivering: She felt a slight chill from the open window.

a feeling of sudden fear, anxiety, or alarm.

sudden coldness of the body, as during the cold stage of an ague: fevers and chills.

a depressing influence or sensation: His presence cast a chill over everyone.

lack of warmth of feeling; unfriendliness; coolness.

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.

bloom¹ (def. 12).

adjective

moderately cold; tending to cause shivering;chilly: a chill wind.

shivering with or affected by cold; chilly.

depressing or discouraging: chill prospects.

Slang. cool (def. 14).

unduly formal; unfriendly; chilly: a chill reception.

verb (used without object)

to become cold: The earth chills when the sun sets.

to be seized with a chill; shiver with cold or fear.

Foundry. (of a casting) to become hard on the surface by contact with a chill or chills.

Slang. to calm down; relax (often followed by out).

verb (used with object)

to affect with cold; make chilly: The rain has chilled me to the bone.

to make cool: Chill the wine before serving.

to depress; discourage; deter: The news chilled his hopes.

Foundry. to harden the surface of (a casting) by casting it in a mold having a chill or chills.

bloom¹ (def. 22).

Slang. to kill; murder.

OTHER WORDS FOR chill

13 cold, aloof, hostile, stiff.

See synonyms for chill on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

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Hold your head up high as you embark on this quiz that explores some of the synonyms and meanings of “pride.”

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showing self-respect

treating others with kindness

acting selfishly

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Idioms about chill

take a chill pill, Slang. See chill pill (def. 2).

Origin of chill

before 900; Middle English chile,Old English ci(e)le, cele coolness; akin to gelid, cool, cold

synonym study for chill

9. See cold.

OTHER WORDS FROM chill

chill·ing·ly, adverbchillness, nouno·ver·chill, adjectiveo·ver·chill, verb

pre·chill, verb (used with object)un·chilled, adjectivewell-chilled, adjective

Words nearby chill

chili powder, chili sauce, chilitis, Chilkat, Chilkoot Pass, chill, Chillán, chillax, chill bumps, chilled, chilled to the bone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use chill in a sentence

While there’s a lot of chatter around a possible surge in coronavirus cases come fall, economists note there may also be chilling headwinds for the labor market and small businesses in the next few months.
Is the economy about to head backwards?|Anne Sraders|August 21, 2020|Fortune
The other is a carbon tax, a term that often sends chills through free market advocates.
Environment Report: One Way to Force Companies to Emit Less Carbon|MacKenzie Elmer|August 10, 2020|Voice of San Diego
When chilled, a warmer system cooled off in less time than it took a cooler system to reach the same low temperature.
A new experiment hints at how hot water can freeze faster than cold|Emily Conover|August 7, 2020|Science News
I’d known Jim since grade school, and he did try to chill out when I asked him to, but he simply couldn’t control himself.
When Jesus Freaks Go Bad|Eugene Robinson|August 6, 2020|Ozy

Side effects to the coronavirus vaccine include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills and feeling feverish.
COVID-19 vaccines by Oxford, CanSino and Pfizer all trigger immune responses|Tina Hesman Saey|July 21, 2020|Science News
It was an attempt to combat a growing chill on free speech in Turkey while placing his newspaper at the center of the debate.
Turkey Arrests Journalists in Crackdown|Jesse Rosenfeld|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Alice wore a black nylon rain jacket that looked as if it was ill prepared to deal with the coming chill.
The Wildly Peaceful, Human, Almost Boring, Ultimately Great New York City Protests for Eric Garner|Mike Barnicle|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If you prefer them chewy in the middle and crisp outside, chill the balls of dough.
Make These Barefoot Contessa Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies|Ina Garten|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Standing in the chill breeze of autumn, I knew something had passed between us.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What he—and his friend holding the camera—heard in response was enough to chill them to the bone.
Dumpster Politicians, Jeter Tributes, and More Viral Videos|Jack Holmes|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Presently he began to shiver so, with some sort of a chill, that I took off my coat and wrapped it round him.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
From the day of that terrible chill in the snow-storm, she had never been quite well, Ramona thought.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Though she was warmly wrapped in a soft rug of silvery fur, a chill crept into her heart.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
As she walked along the chill promenade she looked with discreet curiosity at every woman she met, to see her condition.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
A chill, sinister feeling crept over me, but I kept my gaze fixed steadily in the same direction.
Uncanny Tales|Various

British Dictionary definitions for chill

chill

/ (tʃɪl) /

noun

a moderate coldness

a sensation of coldness resulting from a cold or damp environment, or from a sudden emotional reaction

a feverish cold

a check on enthusiasm or joy

a metal plate placed in a sand mould to accelerate cooling and control local grain growth

another name for bloom 1 (def. 9)

adjective

another word for chilly

verb

to make or become cold

(tr) to cool or freeze (food, drinks, etc)

(tr)

to depress (enthusiasm, etc)
to discourage

(tr) to cool (a casting or metal object) rapidly in order to prevent the formation of large grains in the metal

(intr) slang, mainly US to relax; calm oneself

Derived forms of chill

chilling, adjectivechillingly, adverbchillness, noun

Word Origin for chill

Old English ciele; related to calan to cool, Latin gelidus icy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for chill

chill

[ chĭl ]

A feeling of cold, with shivering and pallor, sometimes accompanied by an elevation of temperature in the interior of the body.

chill

OTHER WORDS FOR chill

Idioms about chill

Origin of chill

synonym study for chill

OTHER WORDS FROM chill

Words nearby chill

Words related to chill

How to use chill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chill

Derived forms of chill

Word Origin for chill

Medical definitions for chill