Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

run hot and cold

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.71 in modern English

Syllables: run hot and -cold
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.

Example Sentences

"Henrietta's feelings for Delbert run hot and cold—one minute she's hopelessly in love with him, and the next she can't stand the sight of him."
"The business runs hot and cold; some months our firm doesn't earn enough to cover expenses and other months, we net 400% profits."
"London’s right-leaning newspapers, which tend to run hot and cold on the prime minister, are veering toward Arctic right now."

Inflected Forms

runs hot and cold (present, singular) running hot and cold (participle, present) ran hot and cold (past)

Synonyms

blow hot and cold hold with the hare and run with the hounds

Questions

What does run hot and cold mean?: To alternate between two opposite extremes, such as enthusiasm and disinterest or success and failure.

How to pronounce run hot and cold

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