cold feet

plural noun

: apprehension or doubt strong enough to prevent a planned course of action

Examples of cold feet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Republicans, meanwhile, said that some Democrats had cold feet over a provision dealing with immigration. Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025 This poll likewise found that Americans get cold feet about deportations when families are at risk of being separated. Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2025 Analysts noted the downgrade and wondered if Trump was getting cold feet about getting into a trade war. Tobias Burns, The Hill, 23 Jan. 2025 The bottom line: The last thing the crypto lobby needs is for Democrats like her to get cold feet. Brady Dale, Axios, 21 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for cold feet 

Word History

First Known Use

1893, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cold feet was in 1893

Dictionary Entries Near cold feet

Cite this Entry

“Cold feet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20feet. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.

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