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Showing results for cold sweat. Search instead for a+cold+sweat.
Synonyms

cold sweat

American  

noun

  1. a chill accompanied by perspiration, caused by fear, nervousness, or the like.

cold sweat British  

noun

  1. informal a bodily reaction to fear or nervousness, characterized by chill and moist skin

"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
cold sweat Idioms  

  1. see in a cold sweat.

Etymology

Origin of cold sweat

First recorded in 1700–10

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.

As the harried solo parent of a sick child, Byrne lets the camera zoom in so close to her character’s insecurities that the audience breaks out in a cold sweat.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026

If the thought of configuring a VPN makes you break out in a cold sweat, this one’s for you.

From Salon • Feb. 11, 2026

Charles Green, Imran Ahmad, Derek Llambias, Barry Leach, David Somers - all these and more still have the capacity to make some on the current board break out in a cold sweat.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2024

"Even when I realise I am not in Kuta traffic, I can shake in fear, break out in a cold sweat and feel really scared."

From Reuters • Oct. 11, 2022

Whenever I got near one of them, I invariably broke out in a cold sweat and lost the ability to speak in complete sentences.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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.