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cold start

British  

noun

  1. computing the reloading of a program or operating system

"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

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.

In buildings, fossil fuel consumption for heating increased due to a cold start to the year, raising emissions in this area by over three percent compared to 2024, Agora said.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

The market has looked beyond the subsequent warming to forecasts for a cold start to December.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

Because my GE model takes nine minutes to get to 350°F, a cold start actually reduced oven use for cookies by five minutes.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 2, 2024

It comes as much of the UK has been warned to expect a freezing cold start to Saturday.

From BBC • Dec. 2, 2023

A cold start of a large VMS machine took time.

From Underground by Dreyfus, Suelette