phrasal verb (idiom) · informal
get the cold shoulder
UK/ɡet ðə kəʊld ˈʃəʊldə/US/ɡet ðə koʊld ˈʃoʊldər/get the COLD SHOUL·der
to be ignored or treated in an unfriendly way
Examples
“After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for weeks.”
“He felt he was getting the cold shoulder from his colleagues.”
“If you arrive late, you might get the cold shoulder from people who waited.”
Band 8 sentence
“After voicing an unpopular opinion at the meeting, he feared he would receive the cold shoulder from the team thereafter.”
Collocations
- get the cold shoulder from
- give someone the cold shoulder
Word family
Common mistakes
get cold shoulder→get the cold shoulder
get a cold shoulder→get the cold shoulder
Say it for a higher band
5be ignored→6be snubbed→7+get the cold shoulder
Synonyms
ignore
snub
Easily confused
be ignored
“She felt ignored when no one answered her question.”
Related words
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