head cold

American  

noun

1. a form of the common cold characterized especially by nasal congestion and sneezing.

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Etymology

Origin of head cold

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

At first it was only a slight increase in the hoarseness, as if I’d been sick with a head cold.

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

Ultrapure-water projects are big, one-off beasts that everybody and his brother wants to build, so even the smart operators can watch their margins get mugged the minute capital spending gets a head cold.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 9, 2025

"I went from, I got a little bit of a head cold to I have cancer, and it was pretty overwhelming. This has been a really fast roller coaster ride of a journey," he said.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 2024

There was a problem, though: Captain Schirra had a heavy head cold, Major Eisele had a lesser cold and Mr. Cunningham, as he would later recall, felt “a little blah.”

From New York Times • Jan. 3, 2023

“Then the poisoner didn’t know Slughorn very well,” said Hermione, speaking for the first time in hours and sounding as though she had a bad head cold.

From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling