chill

  noun
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\ ˈchil  \
Definition of chill
 (Entry 1 of 3)
1a: a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering (as due to illness)He
had caught a chill that night, and was now down with a fever. — Wilkie Collins
— usually pluralIf you have a cough, fever and chills and are not breathing as
easily as usual, you might have a cold or the flu. — Linda SearingOver the next
few days, my body followed up with a series of messages: you have a sore
throat; you have a fever; you have the chills.— John Herrman
b: an intense shivery sensation : SHIVER, SHUDDERespecially : one caused
by a strong emotion (such as fear)Do you like a good scare? The sort of story,
or moment, that sends a chill down your spine and makes the hair on your
arms stand up like porcupine quills? — Katherine Scott Crawford —often plurala
song so beautiful it gives me chills… this is where [Stephen] King shines,
creating those aforementioned creepy scenes that gave me the chills.—
Katherine Whitt

c: a disagreeable sensation of coldnessWhen you venture outside on a cold

day, chances are you feel the biggest chill in your fingers. — Tamekia Reece
2: a moderate but disagreeable degree of colda chill in the air
3: a check to enthusiasm or warmth of feelingAnd a chill fell over the service
as mourners … carried a casket draped in white to the altar. — Katherine Creag
and Jennifer Millman

chill
  adjective
sometimes  chiller; sometimes  chillest

Definition of chill (Entry 2 of 3)
1a: moderately cold
b: COLD, RAW
 2: affected by coldchill travelers
3: DISTANT, FORMALa chill reception
4: DEPRESSING, DISPIRITINGchill penury— Thomas Gray
5informal  : having a laid-back style or easy demeanorShe looked just like
Joey Potter … Really young and super chill. No one was paying any attention.
It was a laid-back situation. — Emma PearseWe're very casual. I love how at City
Hall people come in everything from wedding gowns to jeans. It's so mellow
and chill, just how we like it. — Erin Burnett

chill
  verb
chilled; chilling; chills

Definition of chill (Entry 3 of 3)
intransitive verb
1a: to become cold
b: to shiver or quake with or as if with cold
2: to become taken with a chill
3a: CHILL OUT
b: HANG SENSE 12
transitive verb
1a: to make cold or chillychilled by a cold wind
b: to make cool especially without freezingchill the wine
2: to affect as if with cold : DISPIRIT
Other Words from chillSynonyms & Antonyms More
Example Sentences Learn More About  chill
Other Words from chill
Adjective

chillness noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for chill
Synonyms: Noun

 bite, 
 bitterness, 
 bleakness, 
 chilliness, 
 nip, 
 nippiness, 
 rawness, 
 sharpness

Synonyms: Adjective

 antiseptic, 
 arctic, 
 brittle, 
 chilly, 
 clammy, 
 cold, 
 cold-blooded, 
 cold-eyed, 
 coldish, 
 cool, 
 frigid, 
 frosty, 
 frozen, 
 gelid, 
 glacial, 
 hard-eyed, 
 icy, 
 uncordial, 
 unfriendly, 
 unsympathetic, 
 wintry 
 (also wintery)

Synonyms: Verb

 cool, 
 refrigerate

Antonyms: Adjective

 cordial, 
 friendly, 
 genial, 
 happy, 
 hearty, 
 sympathetic, 
 warm, 
 warm-blooded, 
 warmhearted

Antonyms: Verb

 heat, 
 toast, 
 warm
Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of chill in a Sentence

Noun There was a chill in the autumn air. He closed the windows to keep out
the chill.
See More

Recent Examples on the Web: NounIt’s aged in both new and used
American oak barrels for three years, and is bottled unfiltered and
without chill  filtration at 96 proof. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 20 Aug. 2021Both the
data and my joint-friendly peers admit that the chill  ganja of the hippie era
was replaced by new, harder-hitting strains a long time ago. — Aron Ravin, National
Review, 14 Aug. 2021
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current
usage of the word 'chill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-
Webster or its editors. Send us feedback .
See More

First Known Use of chill

Noun

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

History and Etymology for chill
Noun

Middle English chile chill, frost, from Old English ciele; akin to Old

English ceald cold
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Time Traveler for chill

The first known use of chill was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
Cold Words for Cold Times
Maybe obscure words will warm you up.

Dictionary Entries Near chill

Chilkoot
chill
chillagite
See More Nearby Entries 

Phrases Related to chill

a chill/shiver runs up/down someone's spine
chilled to the bone/marrow
make a chill/shiver run up/down someone's spine
Statistics for chill
Last Updated

23 Aug 2021
Look-up Popularity
Top 1% of words
Cite this Entry
“Chill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chill. Accessed 31 Aug. 2021.
Style: MLA

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More Definitions for chill

chill
  noun
English Language Learners Definition of chill
 (Entry 1 of 3)
: a cold feeling : a degree of cold that can be felt and that is usually
unpleasant
: a feeling of being cold
: an illness that makes you feel cold

chill
  adjective
English Language Learners Definition of chill (Entry 2 of
3)
somewhat formal  : unpleasantly cold

chill
  verb
English Language Learners Definition of chill (Entry 3 of
3)
: to make (someone or something) cold or cool
: to become cold or cool
: to cause (someone) to feel afraid
See the full definition for  chill in the English Language Learners Dictionary

chill
  noun
\ ˈchil  \

Kids Definition of chill

 (Entry 1 of 3)
1: coldness that is unpleasant but not extremeThere was a chill in the
autumn air.
2: a feeling of coldness accompanied by shiveringShe has a fever
and chills.
3: a feeling of coldness caused by fearThe grisly sight gave me the chills.

chill
  adjective
Kids Definition of chill (Entry 2 of 3)
1: unpleasantly cold : RAWEverything was damp and chill and miserable in
the wagon …— Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
2: not friendlya chill greeting

chill
  verb
chilled; chilling

Kids Definition of chill (Entry 3 of 3)

1: to make or become cold or chillyThe wind chilled us to the bone.
2: to make cool especially without freezingChill the pudding for dessert.
3: to cause to feel cold from fearThis ghost story will chill you.

chill
  noun
\ ˈchil  \

Medical Definition of chill
 (Entry 1 of 2)
 1: a sensation of cold accompanied by shivering
2: a disagreeable sensation of coldness

chill
  intransitive verb
Medical Definition of chill (Entry 2 of 2)
1a: to become cold
b: to shiver or quake with or as if with cold
2: to become affected with a chill
transitive verb
: to make cold or chilly

chill
  transitive verb
Legal Definition of chill
: to discourage especially through fear of penalty : have a chilling effect
onstatutes which may chill the exercise of…free expression — M. H. Redish

More from Merriam-Webster on chill

Nglish: Translation of  chill for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chill for Arabic Speakers
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