50 Idioms for Winter with Meaning & Sentence
Idioms for Winter
1. Cold shoulder
Meaning: To intentionally ignore someone.
In a Sentence: She gave me the cold shoulder after our disagreement.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore, Snub, Brush off
2. Cold as ice
Meaning: Extremely cold.
In a Sentence: My hands were cold as ice after playing in the snow.
Other Ways to Say: Freezing, Icy
3. Snowed under
Meaning: Overwhelmed with work or tasks.
In a Sentence: I’m snowed under with assignments this week.
Other Ways to Say: Swamped, Overloaded
4. On thin ice
Meaning: In a risky or dangerous situation.
In a Sentence: He’s on thin ice after coming late again.
Other Ways to Say: At risk, Treading carefully
5. Break the ice
Meaning: To initiate conversation in a social setting.
In a Sentence: A funny joke helped break the ice at dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Start talking, Ease tension
6. A snowball effect
Meaning: A situation that builds up rapidly.
In a Sentence: The gossip spread with a snowball effect.
Other Ways to Say: Chain reaction, Escalation
7. Freeze out
Meaning: To exclude someone from a group.
In a Sentence: They tried to freeze her out of the project.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore, Leave out
8. Left out in the cold
Meaning: Excluded from something.
In a Sentence: I felt left out in the cold when no one told me about the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Ignored, Forgotten
9. Put something on ice
Meaning: To delay or pause an idea or plan.
In a Sentence: We decided to put our road trip on ice for now.
Other Ways to Say: Postpone, Put off
10. Snow job
Meaning: Misleading or overly flattering talk.
In a Sentence: Don’t believe that—it’s just a snow job.
Other Ways to Say: Deceive, Mislead
11. Snowball’s chance in hell
Meaning: Almost no possibility.
In a Sentence: He has a snowball’s chance in hell of getting that promotion.
Other Ways to Say: Very unlikely, No chance
12. In the dead of winter
Meaning: In the coldest part of winter.
In a Sentence: The pipes froze in the dead of winter.
Other Ways to Say: Midwinter, Coldest season
13. Blanket of snow
Meaning: A thick layer of snow.
In a Sentence: The ground was covered in a blanket of snow.
Other Ways to Say: Snow cover, Whiteout
14. Chill to the bone
Meaning: To feel extremely cold.
In a Sentence: That icy wind chilled me to the bone.
Other Ways to Say: Frozen stiff, Icy cold
15. Walk on thin ice
Meaning: To be in a dangerous situation.
In a Sentence: He’s walking on thin ice with his boss.
Other Ways to Say: Risky, In trouble
16. Snowed in
Meaning: Unable to go outside due to heavy snow.
In a Sentence: We were snowed in all weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Trapped, Stuck inside
17. A flurry of activity
Meaning: Sudden, busy action.
In a Sentence: There was a flurry of activity before the wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Hustle, Burst of energy
18. Cool reception
Meaning: An unfriendly or distant greeting.
In a Sentence: I received a cool reception from the team.
Other Ways to Say: Cold welcome, Lukewarm response
19. Ice in your veins
Meaning: To stay calm under pressure.
In a Sentence: She showed ice in her veins during the competition.
Other Ways to Say: Calm, Composed
20. Out in the cold
Meaning: Ignored or neglected.
In a Sentence: The new employee felt out in the cold.
Other Ways to Say: Excluded, Left behind
21. Freeze over
Meaning: To become frozen.
In a Sentence: The pond will freeze over by January.
Other Ways to Say: Turn to ice, Ice up
22. Cold comfort
Meaning: Poor or inadequate consolation.
In a Sentence: His apology was cold comfort after the damage was done.
Other Ways to Say: Small consolation, Weak sympathy
23. Ice-cold stare
Meaning: A very stern or unfriendly look.
In a Sentence: She gave him an ice-cold stare.
Other Ways to Say: Glare, Hard look
24. Frozen in place
Meaning: Too shocked or scared to move.
In a Sentence: He stood frozen in place when the alarm went off.
Other Ways to Say: Paralyzed, Stunned
25. Chill out
Meaning: To relax or calm down.
In a Sentence: Let’s just chill out and watch a movie.
Other Ways to Say: Relax, Take it easy
26. Catch your death of cold
Meaning: To get very sick from the cold.
In a Sentence: Wear a scarf or you’ll catch your death of cold.
Other Ways to Say: Get sick, Freeze
27. Blow hot and cold
Meaning: To be inconsistent in behavior or attitude.
In a Sentence: She keeps blowing hot and cold about the trip.
Other Ways to Say: Inconsistent, Moody
28. Like a snowflake
Meaning: Unique and delicate.
In a Sentence: Each child is like a snowflake—special in their own way.
Other Ways to Say: Unique, Fragile
29. Freeze in one’s tracks
Meaning: To stop suddenly due to fear or surprise.
In a Sentence: I froze in my tracks when I saw the bear.
Other Ways to Say: Stop cold, Paralyzed
30. Cold feet
Meaning: Hesitation before a major decision.
In a Sentence: She got cold feet before the wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Doubt, Nervousness
31. Bundle up
Meaning: Dress warmly.
In a Sentence: Make sure to bundle up—it’s freezing outside.
Other Ways to Say: Wrap up, Layer up
32. Cold snap
Meaning: A brief period of very cold weather.
In a Sentence: The cold snap caught everyone by surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Chill, Freeze
33. Under the weather
Meaning: Feeling ill.
In a Sentence: I’ve been under the weather all weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Sick, Unwell
34. Snow blind
Meaning: Temporary vision loss due to bright snow.
In a Sentence: He became snow blind while skiing.
Other Ways to Say: Vision impaired by snow
35. Freeze someone out
Meaning: To act coldly to drive someone away.
In a Sentence: They froze him out of the group.
Other Ways to Say: Push away, Isolate
36. Dead of winter
Meaning: The coldest, darkest time of winter.
In a Sentence: They moved house in the dead of winter.
Other Ways to Say: Midwinter, Deep freeze
37. Ice-breaker
Meaning: A thing that initiates conversation.
In a Sentence: The game was a perfect ice-breaker.
Other Ways to Say: Opener, Introduction
38. Chill wind
Meaning: Cold, uncomfortable wind.
In a Sentence: A chill wind blew across the street.
Other Ways to Say: Bitter wind, Icy breeze
39. Flake out
Meaning: To fall asleep suddenly or cancel plans.
In a Sentence: He flaked out after dinner.
Other Ways to Say: Doze off, Bail out
40. Ice up
Meaning: To become covered with ice.
In a Sentence: The windshield iced up overnight.
Other Ways to Say: Freeze over, Frost
41. Cold as a grave
Meaning: Very cold.
In a Sentence: The room was cold as a grave.
Other Ways to Say: Chilly, Freezing
42. Skating on thin ice
Meaning: Taking a risk.
In a Sentence: He’s skating on thin ice with those comments.
Other Ways to Say: Risking, In danger
43. Slip and slide
Meaning: Struggle to move on a slippery surface.
In a Sentence: I slipped and slid all the way home.
Other Ways to Say: Skid, Lose balance
44. Cold comfort
Meaning: Barely comforting.
In a Sentence: Her words were cold comfort after the loss.
Other Ways to Say: Weak sympathy, Little solace
45. Frosty reception
Meaning: Unfriendly welcome.
In a Sentence: He received a frosty reception at the party.
Other Ways to Say: Cold welcome, Distant response
46. Ice out
Meaning: To remove or push someone out.
In a Sentence: They iced her out of the group project.
Other Ways to Say: Exclude, Push aside
47. Freeze to death
Meaning: To become extremely cold.
In a Sentence: I thought I’d freeze to death waiting outside.
Other Ways to Say: Extremely cold, Frozen
48. Cold snap
Meaning: Sudden drop in temperature.
In a Sentence: The cold snap burst several pipes.
Other Ways to Say: Cold spell, Freeze
49. Snow flurries
Meaning: Light, scattered snow.
In a Sentence: Snow flurries danced across the sky.
Other Ways to Say: Light snow, Snowflakes
50. Turn cold
Meaning: Suddenly become unfriendly or distant.
In a Sentence: Her tone turned cold after the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Distant, Withdrawn
