chill

[ chil ]

noun

1. coldness, especially a moderate but uncomfortably penetrating coldness:

   the chill of evening.

2. a sensation of cold, usually with shivering:

   She felt a slight chill from the open window.

3. a feeling of sudden fear, anxiety, or alarm.
4. sudden coldness of the body, as during the cold stage of an ague:

   fevers and chills.

5. a depressing influence or sensation:

   His presence cast a chill over everyone.

6. lack of warmth of feeling; unfriendliness; coolness.
7. Foundry. an inserted object or a surface in a mold capable of absorbing large amounts of heat, used to harden the surface of a casting or to increase its rate of solidification at a specific point.
8. bloom ¹( def 12 ).

adjective

1. moderately cold; tending to cause shivering; chilly:

   a chill wind.

2. shivering with or affected by cold; chilly.
3. depressing or discouraging:

   chill prospects.

4. Slang. cool ( def 14 ).
5. unduly formal; unfriendly; chilly:

   a chill reception.

   Synonyms: stiff, hostile, aloof, cold

verb (used without object)

1. to become cold:

   The earth chills when the sun sets.

2. to be seized with a chill; shiver with cold or fear.
3. Foundry. (of a casting) to become hard on the surface by contact with a chill or chills.
4. Slang. to calm down; relax (often followed by out ).

verb (used with object)

1. to affect with cold; make chilly:

   The rain has chilled me to the bone.

2. to make cool:

   Chill the wine before serving.

3. to depress; discourage; deter:

   The news chilled his hopes.

4. Foundry. to harden the surface of (a casting) by casting it in a mold having a chill or chills.
5. bloom ¹( def 22 ).
6. Slang. to kill; murder.

chill

/ tʃɪl /

noun

1. a moderate coldness
2. a sensation of coldness resulting from a cold or damp environment, or from a sudden emotional reaction
3. a feverish cold
4. a check on enthusiasm or joy
5. a metal plate placed in a sand mould to accelerate cooling and control local grain growth
6. See bloom
   another name for bloom 1

adjective

1. See chilly
   another word for chilly

verb

1. to make or become cold
2. tr to cool or freeze (food, drinks, etc)
3. tr
   1. to depress (enthusiasm, etc)
   2. to discourage
4. tr to cool (a casting or metal object) rapidly in order to prevent the formation of large grains in the metal
5. slang.
   intr to relax; calm oneself

Derived Forms

• ˈchillness, noun
• ˈchilling, adjective
• ˈchillingly, adverb

Other Words From

• chilling·ly adverb
• chillness noun
• over·chill adjective
• over·chill verb
• pre·chill verb (used with object)
• un·chilled adjective
• well-chilled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chill¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English chile, Old English cele, ci(e)le “coolness”; cool, cold; akin to Latin gelāre “to freeze,” gelum “frost, cold,” glaciēs “ice” ( gelato, gelid, glacier )

Word History and Origins

Origin of chill¹

Old English ciele; related to calan to cool , Latin gelidus icy

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. take a chill pill, Slang. See chill pill ( def 2 ).

Synonym Study

See cold.

Example Sentences

While there’s a lot of chatter around a possible surge in coronavirus cases come fall, economists note there may also be chilling headwinds for the labor market and small businesses in the next few months.

From Fortune

The other is a carbon tax, a term that often sends chills through free market advocates.

From Voice of San Diego

When chilled, a warmer system cooled off in less time than it took a cooler system to reach the same low temperature.

From Science News

I’d known Jim since grade school, and he did try to chill out when I asked him to, but he simply couldn’t control himself.

From Ozy

Side effects to the coronavirus vaccine include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills and feeling feverish.

From Science News

It was an attempt to combat a growing chill on free speech in Turkey while placing his newspaper at the center of the debate.

From The Daily Beast

Alice wore a black nylon rain jacket that looked as if it was ill prepared to deal with the coming chill.

From The Daily Beast

If you prefer them chewy in the middle and crisp outside, chill the balls of dough.

From The Daily Beast

Standing in the chill breeze of autumn, I knew something had passed between us.

From The Daily Beast

What he—and his friend holding the camera—heard in response was enough to chill them to the bone.

From The Daily Beast

Presently he began to shiver so, with some sort of a chill, that I took off my coat and wrapped it round him.

From Project Gutenberg

From the day of that terrible chill in the snow-storm, she had never been quite well, Ramona thought.

From Project Gutenberg

Though she was warmly wrapped in a soft rug of silvery fur, a chill crept into her heart.

From Project Gutenberg

As she walked along the chill promenade she looked with discreet curiosity at every woman she met, to see her condition.

From Project Gutenberg

A chill, sinister feeling crept over me, but I kept my gaze fixed steadily in the same direction.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dampen
• depress
• dishearten