cold snap

American  

noun

1. a sudden onset of a relatively brief period of cold weather.

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cold snap British  

noun

1. a sudden short spell of cold weather

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cold snap Idioms  

1. Also, cold spell. A short period of unusually cold weather, as in The recent cold snap has threatened the crop. The first expression presumably likens snap in the sense of “a sudden bite or cut” to sudden unexpected cold. The variant is more obvious, spell having been used in the sense of “a bout or turn at something” since the early 1700s. [Early 1800s]

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Etymology

Origin of cold snap

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Example Sentences

This is the second major snowstorm of the first-time mayor's administration, coming after 19 people died during a three-week cold snap in January.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

A Deutsche Bahn spokesman told AFP that a January cold snap in northern Germany contributed to the high rate of delays.

From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026

A historic cold snap hasn’t dimmed the protesters’ resolve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

“As soon as we get a cold snap, the chicories start to come out, and from the Veneto over into Friuli, you just have this, like huge variety of different radicchio species,” she says.”

From Salon • Jan. 24, 2026

The inside of this bus is humid, and the windows are foggy, so I open mine about an inch, relishing the cold snap of fresh air.

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Related Words

• cold spell
• cold wave
• cold weather