cold-weld

American

[kohld-weld] / ˈkoʊldˈwɛld /

verb (used with object)

to weld (metal objects) by extreme high pressure with no application of heat.
to weld (metal objects) by contact in a high vacuum, as in space.

cold-weld British

verb

(tr) to join (two metal surfaces) without heat by forcing them together so that the oxide films are broken and adhesion occurs

"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

Other Word Forms

cold welding noun

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.

One example, J-B Weld Cold-Weld Steel Reinforced Epoxy with Hardener, costs $3.60 on Amazon.com for a package with one ounce of epoxy and one ounce of hardener.

From Washington Post

National Research scientists have made pieces of metal grab each other in a vacuum until sometimes the "cold-weld"' that formed had 95% of the strength of solid metal.

From Time Magazine Archive

When space vehicles are assembled in orbit, say National Research scientists, their joints may well be made of metals that cold-weld firmly as soon as they touch.

From Time Magazine Archive

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