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

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

He has already contended with two major snowstorms and a cold snap in which 19 people died from exposure.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 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

The almost-daily barrages, paired with the cold snap, have put lives at risk and created an unprecedented threat for Ivannikov's pride and joy: a collection of almost 4,000 species.

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

In die end, right before dawn a kind of cold snap came down—something else new, this cold snap—and the mosquitos settled back into the damp grass and under the leaves and he could sleep.

From "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen

Related Words

• cold spell
• cold wave
• cold weather