Synonyms

cold feet

American

noun

Informal.

a loss or lack of courage or confidence; an onset of uncertainty or fear.

She got cold feet when asked to sing a solo.

cold feet British

plural noun

informal loss or lack of courage or confidence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cold feet Cultural

To “have cold feet” is to be too fearful to undertake or complete an action: “The backup quarterback was called into the game, but he got cold feet and refused to go in.”

Etymology

Origin of cold feet

First recorded in 1890–95

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.

There has been no public indication so far that sponsors are getting cold feet.

From Los Angeles Times

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

From Barron's

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

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

From The Wall Street Journal

The officer texted back immediately: “Ugh, got cold feet? Maybe reset and try again?”

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023