chill

[ chil ]

/ tʃɪl /

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.

SYNONYMS FOR chill

13 cold, aloof, hostile, stiff.

See synonyms for chill on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

THIS PSAT VOCABULARY QUIZ IS PERFECT PRACTICE FOR THE REAL TEST

In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for chill

She was amicable, conversable, all that was agreeable as a woman, and she was the chillest of wives.
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith
"Thank you," she said, in her chillest and primmest fashion, as she withdrew from Ruth's embrace.
Aunt Rachel|David Christie Murray
Even on the summit of the Blocksberg, the chillest, barest spot on earth, you would impart some warmth.
The Dangerous Age|Karin Michalis
There is a stone which is of all the hardest and the chillest, but when once set on fire it is unquenchable.
The Disowned, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton

At that chillest, most awful moment of all the circle of time, Mrs. Forrester had sunk into half-unconsciousness.
The Wizard's Son, vol. 3|Margaret Oliphant

British Dictionary definitions for chill

chill

/ (tʃɪl) /