cold case

American  

[kohld keys] / ˈkoʊld ˈkeɪs /

noun

1. a criminal investigation that has remained unsolved for an extended period of time.

   This year's award recipient is a state trooper whose work helped close a cold case from 1983.

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Etymology

Origin of cold case

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cold case

Some are by amateur forensic analysts and would-be internet sleuths with podcast names like The Murder Men that dissect the killing as if it’s a 1980s cold case.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

There is also what was previously described as "the UK's oldest cold case", which took almost six decades to solve.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Renée Ballard, who collaborates with Stilwell on that cold case, has starred or co-starred in several novels of her own.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

The public’s on-again, off-again interest kept Smart’s disappearance in the news sporadically, but a podcast called “Your Own Backyard,” begun in 2019 by Chris Lambert, shined a new spotlight on the cold case.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

"A cold case is a case that hasn't been solved. My dad told me that while we were watching a mystery show on TV."

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene