cold snap

American  

noun

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

---

cold snap British  

noun

1. a sudden short spell of cold weather

---

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]

---

Etymology

Origin of cold snap

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cold snap

Arctic air is set to sweep across the UK this week, with a cold snap forecast to replace the spring warmth many have felt in recent days.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

The latest numbers showing steep increases also don’t capture February’s cold snap across large parts of the country.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026

At least 16 people have died in New York City during the cold snap, city officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 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 severe cold snap was in danger of turning the water in the planes’ radiators to solid ice, which would break the radiators.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• cold spell
• cold wave
• cold weather