Synonyms

out cold

Idioms

Also, out for the count; out like a light. Unconscious; also, asleep. For example, He crashed into the wall and was out cold, or Willie punched him too hard, and he was out for the count or Don't call Jane; she's out like a light by ten every night. The adjective cold refers to the lack of heat in a dead body and has been used to mean “unconscious” since the second half of the 1800s. The first variant comes from boxing, where a fighter who is knocked down must get up before the referee counts to ten or be declared defeated; it dates from about 1930. The last variant alludes to turning out a light and dates from the first half of the 1900s.

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.

One minute you’re talking, the next you’re out cold.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

The new study shows that dark matter does not necessarily need to start out cold.

From Science Daily • Jan. 15, 2026

"I was knocked out cold and then after a couple of minutes you come around," he says.

From BBC • May 8, 2024

Just when it seems that B.J. is out cold, his eyes fly open and he reaches, grabs, twists.

From New York Times • Jul. 16, 2023

Guy was out cold again, baby Afro pressed all up against the window, mouth wide open.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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