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Showing results for cold sweat. Search instead for a+cold+sweat.
Synonyms

cold sweat

American  

noun

  1. a chill accompanied by perspiration, caused by fear, nervousness, or the like.

cold sweat British  

noun

  1. informal a bodily reaction to fear or nervousness, characterized by chill and moist skin

"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
cold sweat Idioms  

  1. see in a cold sweat.

Etymology

Origin of cold sweat

First recorded in 1700–10

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.

St James' Park was in a cold sweat on the final day as Newcastle lost to Everton, but the party started after Manchester United's controversial win against Aston Villa.

From BBC • May 26, 2025

I awoke in a cold sweat, comforted by the realization that I was still at home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2024

I woke in a cold sweat of reality.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2023

On most nights, I wake up in a pool of cold sweat.

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2022

Relief floods through me and I break out in a cold sweat as he looks from me to Julie, a sheepish expression on his face as he holds up his fingertip sensor.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.