idiom · neutral
give someone the cold shoulder
UK/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə kəʊld ˈʃəʊldə(r)/US/ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə koʊld ˈʃoʊldər/give·some·one·the·cold·SHOUL·der
to deliberately ignore someone or treat them in an unfriendly way
Examples
“After their argument, he gave her the cold shoulder at the party.”
“I apologized, but she still gave me the cold shoulder.”
“Don't give him the cold shoulder — talk to him and clear things up.”
Band 8 sentence
“After the disagreement in the meeting, several colleagues gave him the cold shoulder for days.”
Collocations
- give someone the cold shoulder after/for
- receive the cold shoulder
Word family
Common mistakes
She gave me cold shoulder.→She gave me the cold shoulder.
He gives her cold shoulders.→He gives her the cold shoulder.
Say it for a higher band
5ignore→6snub→7+give someone the cold shoulder
Synonyms
snub
Easily confused
ignore
“She ignored his messages for a week.”
Related words
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In Communication
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