cold spell

cold spell — idiom

1. several days or weeks when the temperature stays much lower than usual for the t

1.慣用語B1
釋義

several days or weeks when the temperature stays much lower than usual for the time of year

例句

A cold spell in January kept the pipes frozen for almost two weeks.

article + cold spell + in + month + verb phrase

João stocked up on firewood before the cold spell arrived.

同義詞
  • cold snap

    Emphasises a sudden, sharp drop in temperature; usually shorter than a cold spell

  • cold wave

    More technical or meteorological; refers to a large-scale drop in temperature over a wide area

  • freeze

    Focuses on temperatures at or below freezing; implies ice or frost

反義詞
  • heat wave

    A period of unusually hot weather; the opposite extreme

  • warm spell

    A period of warmer-than-usual weather

用法筆記

Often modified by adjectives like 'brief', 'severe', 'prolonged', or 'unexpected'.

常見錯誤

❌The cold time lasted three days.
✅The cold spell lasted three days.
💡'cold time' is not a natural English phrase; use 'cold spell' instead.
❌We had a cold spell in the summer.
✅We had a cold snap in the summer.
💡'cold snap' is more common for short, sudden cold periods; for longer periods 'cold spell' is more natural.