common cold

American  

noun

common colds plural

1. cold.

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common cold British  

noun

1. a mild viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, characterized by sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, nasal congestion, sore throat, etc

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common cold Scientific  

/ kŏm′ən /

1. A respiratory infection caused by any of several viruses, such as adenovirus or rhinovirus, in which the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat become inflamed. Common-cold symptoms include fever, nasal discharge, sneezing, and coughing.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• common colds
  plural

Etymology

Origin of common cold

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

Endemicity is when an infection is constantly present, like the common cold.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

“They think, ‘I’m the only schmuck that feels this bad,’ and never get the corrective feedback that depression is like the common cold of mental illness.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

When rhinovirus, the most common cause of the common cold, enters the nasal passages, the cells lining the nose immediately begin working together to fight the infection.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

University students are particularly at risk because they mix with lots of new people, and the bacteria that cause meningitis are spread in similar ways to the common cold through sneezing and coughing.

From BBC • Dec. 1, 2025

Imagine someone sneezing in a crowded elevator, releasing into the air ten variants of a rhinovirus, the kind of virus that causes the common cold.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann