chill
/tʃɪl/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.18 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A sudden penetrating sense of cold, especially one that causes a brief trembling nerve response through the body; the trembling response itself; often associated with illness: fevers and chills, or susceptibility to illness.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An uncomfortable and numbing sense of fear, dread, anxiety, or alarm, often one that is sudden and usually accompanied by a trembling nerve response resembling the body's response to biting cold.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "There was a chill in the air."
- "Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal."
- "A breezy winter chill is likely for MLK Weekend across the Southeast. […] A steady northwest breeze will keep wind chills in the teens and single digits for the remainder of your weekend."
- "Close the window or you'll catch a chill."
- "I felt a chill when the wind picked up."
- "Despite the heat, he felt a chill as he entered the crime scene."
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /tʃɪl/
- British English: /tʃɪl/
Usage
Inflected Forms
chills (plural)
more chill (comparative)
most chill (superlative)
chills (present, singular)
chilling (participle, present)
chilled (participle, past)
chilled (past)
ch'ill (alternative)
'chill (alternative)