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Definitions

cold feet

NOUN
loss of nerve preventing completion of an action
Synonyms
WEAK
anxiety apprehension backing out chickenheart doubt faint heart fear fear of carrying out an activity reservations second thoughts timidity weak knees white feather yellow streak

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With the market suddenly getting cold feet over artificial intelligence, investors have been snapping up shares of long-neglected staples stocks.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

Aarthi Swaminathan helped a reader who is under contract to buy a home, but is getting cold feet as she faces a high level of combined expenses relative to her income.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026

Here are some things you can do to avoid losing a deal to a buyer with cold feet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

But the parent started to "get cold feet" as the process went on when they realised how life-changing this role would be.

From BBC • May 31, 2025

Meggie stood there rubbing her cold feet together.

From "Inkheart" by Cornelia Funke

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.