chill
chill — verb
1. to make food, drink, or another object cold, but not cold enough to freeze it, o
to make food, drink, or another object cold, but not cold enough to freeze it, or to become cold in this way
The recipe says to chill the cake in the fridge for at least two hours.
transitive: chill + object + in + container
After baking, let the cookies chill on the counter before storing them.
intransitive: something chills on + surface
Diego chilled the bottle of water in the stream during the hike.
The cold wind chilled the balcony, so we moved inside for dinner.
transitive: weather + chill + object
White wine should be chilled slowly, not put straight into the freezer.
passive: should be chilled + adverb
- chill + wine/beer/soup/cake/food
- chill + in the fridge/on ice/in cold water
- let something chill
- cool
milder drop in temperature, usually to a pleasant level
- refrigerate
more formal, specifically means storing in a fridge at a controlled low temperature
- ice
means to cool with ice, often for drinks
Grammar Patterns
chill + object
chill + adverb/preposition
something chills
Usage Note
Both transitive (chill + object) and intransitive (something chills) forms are common. The transitive form is most often used for food and drink preparation.
Common Mistakes
2. to relax in a gentle way, usually by not doing any work or intense activity
to relax in a gentle way, usually by not doing any work or intense activity
On Saturday mornings, Priya likes to chill at home with a good book.
collocation: chill at home
After finishing their project, the team chilled at the beach for a few hours.
collocation: chill at + location
Rohan spent the whole afternoon chilling in the yard with his dog.
We decided to just chill by the pool instead of going to the party.
pattern: just chill instead of [activity]
The old cat spent the morning chilling in a warm patch of sunlight.
- chill at home/with friends/by the pool
- just chill
- chill out
Grammar Patterns
chill + at/with/by + place/person
just chill
Usage Note
Informal register, common in everyday speech. Often used with 'out' as the phrasal verb 'chill out' for added emphasis. Never used in passive voice.
Common Mistakes
3. to stay calm and not let a difficult situation make you angry, worried, or upset
to stay calm and not let a difficult situation make you angry, worried, or upset
Even when the train was delayed, Aiko stayed chill and waited patiently.
pattern: stay chill + despite [problem]
The coach told his players to chill and focus on the next play.
When the computer crashed, Ravi took a deep breath and tried to chill.
My manager is great at staying chill during stressful meetings at work.
collocation: stay chill during [situation]
- stay chill
- keep chill
- chill during/in + stressful situation
- calm down
more explicit and widely understood across registers
- relax
broader meaning but works in this context
- take it easy
idiomatic and slightly more polite
Grammar Patterns
stay/keep + chill
chill + during/in + stressful situation
Usage Note
Informal register, mostly in spoken English. This sense is frequently used in the imperative as a piece of advice or encouragement ('Chill!', 'Just chill!'). Distinguish from the UNWIND sense: this sense focuses on emotional control during stress rather than doing nothing to relax.
Common Mistakes
chill out
phrasal verbto relax completely after feeling angry, upset, or very busy, or to tell someone else to do the same
Leila went for a long walk by the river to chill out after the argument.
You really need to chill out — getting angry about traffic will only ruin your day.
chill — noun
1. an uncomfortable feeling of coldness in the body, the air, or a place
an uncomfortable feeling of coldness in the body, the air, or a place
The morning chill made Yara reach for her wool scarf and gloves.
There was a noticeable chill in the air when autumn arrived.
pattern: a [adjective] chill in the air
A chill ran down Beatriz's spine as she entered the old cellar.
idiomatic: a chill runs down one's spine
The chill of the marble floor went through Hana's thin socks.
- morning/autumn/night chill
- chill in the air
- chill of + the night/water/morning
- a chill runs/down one's spine
- warmth
a comfortable level of heat
Grammar Patterns
the + chill
a + adjective + chill
chill + of + noun
Usage Note
Typically used in the singular with a determiner ('the chill', 'a chill'). The phrase 'a chill in the air' is a very common fixed expression for describing weather. The expression 'a chill runs down one's spine' describes a physical reaction to cold or fear.
Common Mistakes
2. an illness that causes a feeling of coldness in the body, often with shivering a
an illness that causes a feeling of coldness in the body, often with shivering and a slight fever, usually caused by getting wet or cold
Tomás caught a chill after walking home in the rain without a coat.
collocation: catch a chill
All three children came down with chills and fever during the winter break.
A hot cup of ginger tea helps when you feel a chill coming on.
collocation: feel a chill coming on
The nurse said the chill would pass after a day of bed rest.
- catch a chill
- have/get the chills
- chills and fever
- feel a chill coming on
Grammar Patterns
catch + a + chill
have + the + chills
feel + a + chill + coming on
Usage Note
Often used in the plural ('the chills') for the physical shaking and cold sensation during illness. 'To catch a chill' is a fixed expression meaning to become mildly ill from exposure to cold or wet conditions.
Common Mistakes
3. a brief, strong feeling of fear or dread that comes without warning, often trigg
a brief, strong feeling of fear or dread that comes without warning, often triggered by something unsettling
A chill of fear went through Kofi when he heard footsteps behind him.
pattern: a chill of [emotion] + movement verb
The old house gave Leila a chill the moment she stepped inside.
That strange phone call sent a chill down Rashida's spine.
idiomatic: send a chill down one's spine
A sudden chill of dread washed over Noa as she read the letter.
- a chill of fear/dread/terror
- send a chill down one's spine
- a chill goes through/runs through one
- feel a sudden chill
- warmth
a pleasant, comfortable feeling
Grammar Patterns
a + chill + of + emotion
send + a + chill + down/through + pronoun
a + chill + verb + through + pronoun
Usage Note
Typically singular and used in literary or descriptive language. The fixed expression 'send a chill down/up someone's spine' is a common idiom for describing something scary or disturbing.
Common Mistakes
chill — adjective
1. uncomfortably cold, but not freezing — used to describe weather, wind, water, or
uncomfortably cold, but not freezing — used to describe weather, wind, water, or the temperature of a place
A chill wind blew through the open window in the bedroom.
collocation: chill wind
The water in the mountain stream felt chill against Diego's skin.
It was a chill morning, so Wen decided to wear a thick sweater.
pattern: chill morning/evening/night
The old stone walls made the room feel chill even in summer.
- chill wind/air/water
- chill morning/evening/night
- feel chill
Grammar Patterns
chill + noun
feel + chill
Usage Note
The adjective 'chilly' is more common than 'chill' for describing weather and temperature in standard English. 'Chill' as an adjective for cold is slightly less formal and more common in American English.
Common Mistakes
2. very relaxed and easy-going in character or atmosphere, not easily bothered or s
very relaxed and easy-going in character or atmosphere, not easily bothered or stressed
My uncle has such a chill personality that nothing ever bothers him.
collocation: chill personality
The café had a chill atmosphere with soft lighting and beanbags.
collocation: chill atmosphere
Rashida is very chill about deadlines and always finishes ahead of time.
pattern: chill about [something]
We found a chill little bar by the beach with great music.
- chill personality/attitude/vibe/atmosphere
- chill about + noun
- pretty chill
- very chill
- laid-back
very similar in meaning and register
- easy-going
slightly more formal, common in both speech and writing
- relaxed
neutral register, appropriate in most contexts
Grammar Patterns
chill + noun (person/atmosphere/vibe)
be + chill + about + noun
Usage Note
Informal, mostly used in spoken language and social media. Describes a person's relaxed character or the easy atmosphere of a place. Do not use this in formal or academic writing.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Cool and chill both describe lowering temperature, but cool suggests a milder drop — often to a pleasantly fresh level, like cooling a pie on a windowsill. Chill implies a more noticeable cold intended for preservation or drinking pleasure, such as chilling wine before serving. Refrigerate is a technical term that always involves a refrigerator or cold storage device, and is more formal in tone. Freeze is much more extreme: it turns liquids into solid ice. For example, you chill a bottle of soda, you refrigerate leftover pasta overnight, and you freeze water to make ice cubes. The differences matter in cooking instructions: 'chill for one hour' means make cold but not frozen, while 'freeze for one hour' would produce a block of ice.
Common collocations
Etymology
Chill comes from Old English 'ciele' or 'cele', meaning 'coldness' or 'cold'. It is related to Old High German 'kolo' (cold), Old Norse 'kala' (to freeze), and Latin 'gelu' (frost, icy cold). The word has been used as a noun since before the 900s. The verb sense — to make or become cold — appeared in the 1300s, and the adjective form developed shortly after. The figurative meaning describing an unpleasant feeling of fear also dates to the 1300s. The modern slang senses — 'to relax' (chill out) and 'laid-back' (a chill person) — emerged in American English during the 1960s and 1970s counterculture, originally from jazz slang.