throw cold water on
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“These developments throw cold water on the idea of a swift de-escalation in the Persian Gulf,” analysts at ING said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Most things we do to a virus makes it weaker or not work as well, or maybe you're trying to engineer it for therapeutics, and I'd hate to see somebody throw cold water on that."
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2025
Sightings like Sunday’s help keep the urban legend alive, but experts throw cold water on the sewer theory.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 20, 2023
A price jump to $90 a barrel or more might throw cold water on demand for oil and prompt a political backlash, including from the United States, some analysts say.
From New York Times ● Oct. 4, 2021
“It is a shame to throw cold water on Miss Thayer’s beautiful sentiment,” continued Armstrong.
From The Spell by William Dana Orcutt
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.
