- [countable] (also less frequent the common cold [singular])a common illness that affects the nose and/or throat, making you cough, sneeze, etc.
- I've got a cold.
- to have a cold
- a bad/heavy/slight/nasty cold
- to catch a cold
- If you stay out in the rain you'll catch cold!
- to get a cold
- She was suffering from a cold.
Collocations IllnessesIllnessesBecoming ill- catch a cold/an infectious disease/the flu/(British English) flu/pneumonia/a virus/(informal) a bug
- get (British English) ill/(North American English) sick/a disease/AIDS/breast cancer/a cold/the flu/(British English) flu/a migraine
- come down with a cold/the flu/(British English) flu
- contract a deadly disease/a serious illness/HIV/AIDS
- be infected with a virus/a parasite/HIV
- develop cancer/diabetes/a rash/an ulcer/symptoms of hepatitis
- have a heart attack/a stroke
- provoke/trigger/produce an allergic reaction
- block/burst/rupture a blood vessel
- damage/sever a nerve/an artery/a tendon
- feel (British English) ill/nauseous/queasy
- be running (British English) a temperature/(North American English) a fever
- have a head cold/diabetes/heart disease/lung cancer/a headache/(British English) a high temperature/(North American English) a fever
- suffer from asthma/malnutrition/frequent headaches/nausea/bouts of depression/post-traumatic stress disorder
- be laid up with/ (British English) be in bed with a cold/the flu/(British English) flu/a migraine
- nurse a cold/a headache/a hangover
- battle/fight cancer/depression/addiction/alcoholism
- examine a patient
- diagnose a condition/disease/disorder
- be diagnosed with cancer/diabetes/schizophrenia
- prescribe/be given/be on/take drugs/medicine/medication/pills/painkillers/antibiotics
- treat somebody for cancer/depression/shock
- have/undergo an examination/an operation/surgery/a kidney transplant/therapy/chemotherapy/treatment for cancer
- have/be given an injection/(British English) a flu jab/(North American English) a flu shot/a blood transfusion/a scan/an X-ray
- cure a disease/an ailment/cancer/a headache/a patient
- prevent the spread of disease/further outbreaks/damage to the lungs
- be vaccinated against the flu/(British English) flu/the measles/(British English) measles/polio/smallpox
- enhance/boost/confer/build immunity to a disease
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsa1- I must have caught a cold on the bus.
- She won her match despite suffering from a heavy cold.
- When will they find a cure for the common cold?
- Jim stayed at home because he was nursing a cold.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bad
- heavy
- nasty
- …
- have
- nurse
- suffer from
- …
- [uncountable] a lack of heat or warm air; a low temperature, especially in the atmosphere
- He shivered with cold.
- in the cold Don't stand outside in the cold.
- She doesn't seem to feel the cold.
- cold of something The room was warm, even in the cold of winter.
Extra ExamplesTopics Weatherb1- He stood out in the cold and waited.
- I don't feel the cold as badly as many people.
- My hands were blue with cold.
- The house has double glazing to keep out the cold.
- We were well wrapped up against the cold.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- biting
- bitter
- extreme
- …
- feel
- keep out
- be blue with
- …
- against the cold
- out in the cold
illness
low temperature
Word OriginOld English cald, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koud and German kalt, also to Latin gelu ‘frost’.
Idioms
See cold in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cold in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishcatch a cold
- to become ill with a cold
- (informal) to have problems
- The film caught a cold over the outstanding debt.
catch your death (of cold)
- (old-fashioned, informal) to catch a very bad cold
come in from the cold
- to become accepted or included in a group, etc. after a period of being outside it
leave somebody out in the cold
- to not include somebody in a group or an activity
- Millions of ordinary workers feel left out in the cold by the shift to digital technology.
- When the coalition was formed the Liberals were left out in the cold.
Check pronunciation:
cold