chill
Americannoun
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chills
plural
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coldness, especially a moderate but uncomfortably penetrating coldness.
the chill of evening.
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a sensation of cold, usually with shivering.
She felt a slight chill from the open window.
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a feeling of sudden fear, anxiety, or alarm.
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sudden coldness of the body, as during the cold stage of an ague.
fevers and chills.
-
a depressing influence or sensation.
His presence cast a chill over everyone.
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lack of warmth of feeling; unfriendliness; coolness.
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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.
adjective
verb (used without object)
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chills,
present (3rd person singular)
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chilled,
past participle, past
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chilling
present participle
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to become cold.
The earth chills when the sun sets.
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to be seized with a chill; shiver with cold or fear.
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Foundry. (of a casting) to become hard on the surface by contact with a chill or chills.
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Slang. to calm down; relax (often followed byout ).
verb (used with object)
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chills,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chilled,
past participle, past
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chilling
present participle
-
to affect with cold; make chilly.
The rain has chilled me to the bone.
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to make cool.
Chill the wine before serving.
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to depress; discourage; deter.
The news chilled his hopes.
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Foundry. to harden the surface of (a casting) by casting it in a mold having a chill or chills.
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Slang. to kill; murder.
idioms
noun
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a moderate coldness
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a sensation of coldness resulting from a cold or damp environment, or from a sudden emotional reaction
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a feverish cold
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a check on enthusiasm or joy
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a metal plate placed in a sand mould to accelerate cooling and control local grain growth
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another name for bloom 1
adjective
verb
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to make or become cold
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(tr) to cool or freeze (food, drinks, etc)
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(tr)
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to depress (enthusiasm, etc)
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to discourage
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(tr) to cool (a casting or metal object) rapidly in order to prevent the formation of large grains in the metal
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slang (intr) to relax; calm oneself
Synonym Usage
See cold.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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chillnessnoun
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overchillverb
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prechillverb (used with object)
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chillingadjective
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overchilladjective
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unchilledadjective
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well-chilledadjective
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chillinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chillsimple
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chillssimple
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have chilledperfect
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has chilledperfect
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am chillingprogressive
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are chillingprogressive
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is chillingprogressive
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have been chillingperfect progressive
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has been chillingperfect progressive
Past
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chilledsimple
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had chilledperfect
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was chillingprogressive
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were chillingprogressive
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had been chillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chill
First recorded before 900; Middle English chile, Old English cele, ci(e)le “coolness”; cf. cool, cold; akin to Latin gelāre “to freeze,” gelum “frost, cold,” glaciēs “ice” ( see gelato, gelid, glacier)
Explanation
A sharp burst of cold air or icy temperatures is a chill. The chill of a January day in New England might make you dream of moving to New Mexico. You'll feel a chill when someone opens a window in the winter, or notice a chill in the air on a cool day in September. Another kind of chill makes you shiver, but it's caused by illness and fever rather than a cold breeze: "Symptoms of the flu include chills and headache." A cold attitude is also a chill, as when a chill in the room makes you realize your friends are angry at each other.
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.
See Examples For:
It's also the time that "September Reset" trends on social media - the kind, chill sister of New Year's Resolutions.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
In the historic Japanese city of Kanazawa, craftsmen painstakingly shape and slice blocks of ice destined to chill negronis in some of the world's trendiest bars.
From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026
This clearly sounds like a blazing hot take that will chill soon and embarrass often.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Mortgage rates ticked up to a new high for the year, casting a chill over the housing market.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
I drop it like it’s fire, watch it flutter to the floor while I count and breathe, count and breathe, forcing my hammering heart to chill out.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
One person might describe feeling unusually cold, another might mention constant chills, while a clinician could categorize those experiences using a specific medical term.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
Perhaps the production was so focused on making sure all the actors looked pallid, and every scene lifeless, that they forgot to add the thrills and chills.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
In painful detail, she described the splitting headaches, body aches, chills, high fevers and hallucinations that had tormented her for days.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Bacteria can also infect wounds where screwworm maggots are present and may cause an infection that can lead to symptoms like fever or chills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026
The waves still break with foaming tops, the wind still chills damp skin, but with every rolling wave, I see the distant shore.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
By the time he got home, the fervor had chilled out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
People can also soak their clothing in cold water or apply an iced or chilled damp towel on their body.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Asked what the difference was between the captaincy of Stokes and Root, fast bowler Josh Tongue said: "It's very chilled out there."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The phonebooth-sized machine, where jets of chilled air ensure ice-cold comfort, only launched this year but has proved popular in a country that seems to be getting inexorably warmer.
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
For a moment Ophie found herself chilled with a bone-deep fear, and she realized it wasn’t for Clara but for herself.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
That will have a chilling effect on businesses serving customers working in sensitive sectors including tech industries and the government, said an immigration expert in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
As I spoke to the women who had worked, in the early 1970s, to organize and pursue this right, I realized something chilling.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
Shi argues that non-compete agreements harm the economy: “They have a chilling effect and discourage people from looking for new jobs,” she says.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Equally chilling is that the book often shows up on banned books lists — not unlike in its narrative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
A chilling reminder of just how quickly events could get out of control.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
