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cold shoulder
noun
: intentionally cold or unsympathetic treatment
got the cold shoulder from an old friend
Examples of cold shoulder in a Sentence
at the party the two former friends consciously gave each other the cold shoulder
Recent Examples on the Web
Despite its rocky start and the Grammys’ cold shoulder, Anti remains on the Billboard 200 today, now the longest-running album by a Black woman in the chart’s history (445 weeks and counting).
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 19 Nov. 2024
Video on social media showed the awkward moment when Putintseva appeared to give the ball girl a cold shoulder during the second set of the 6-3, 6-4 loss.
—Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 4 Sep. 2024
Early last offseason, Jacobs felt a cold shoulder from the Raiders.
—Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 29 Aug. 2024
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to deepen ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin in May, turning a cold shoulder to the U.S. after Blinken flew to Beijing in a diplomatic gesture.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1816, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near cold shoulder
Cite this Entry
“Cold shoulder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20shoulder. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
cold shoulder
noun
: treatment that is purposely unfriendly
cold-shoulder
verb
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