cold call 1 of 2

noun

Definition of cold callnext
as in voice mail

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cold-call

2 of 2

verb

as in to telephone

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cold call
Noun
The president takes questions from reporters regularly—sometimes in a gaggle, sometimes in cold calls on his phone. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2026 Two years later, a cold call from a headhunter redirected her trajectory. — Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2026
Verb
In a sign of gentrification, Realtors regularly cold-call longtime Leimert Park residents with cash offers for their homes. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 That struggle led the team to cold-call shelters around the nation. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 15 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cold call
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cold call
  1. voice mail
  2. telephone
  3. conference call
  4. phone
  5. message
  6. dial
  7. callback
  8. call
Noun
  • The story is constructed around a love connection made when candid voicemails sent by a grieving San Francisco prep cook wind up in the ear of the wrong person — a cute guy in Austin.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
  • Under the guidance of writer-director Leah McKendrick, the premise is all about voicemail mixups as its key device.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 18 June 2026
Definition of voice mail
Verb
  • So Parker telephoned the base posing as the doctor of Adams’ supposedly ailing mother and talked the young soldier’s superiors into issuing an emergency furlough.
    — Dan Kelly July 28, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
  • The average taxpayer who telephoned the IRS during tax season this year spent 14 minutes on hold, the advocate reports.
    — Daniel de Visé, USA Today, 27 June 2026
Definition of telephone
Noun
  • The quarterly results and post-earnings conference call commentary Tuesday evening offered a clearer picture of Capital One's earnings potential.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Drinkwitz spoke of the arrests again on Wednesday’s SEC coaches conference call.
    — PJ Green October 7, Kansas City Star, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of conference call
Verb
  • Anonymous tips can be phoned in to Crime Stoppers of Tarrant County at 817-469-8477.
    — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Kamel allegedly phoned Netanyahu just days before 7 October, adding to warnings from the previous month, when he is said to have flown to Israel to inform security officials in person that Hamas was planning a major assault, claimed the paper.
    — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of phone
Noun
  • That the first foreign policy message after the victory went to Moscow, and through a Russian state outlet, says a good deal about where the new government’s instincts lie.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The allegation was previously investigated The latest allegation concerns an October 2016 New York Times story related to a secret court order that required Yahoo to scan emails for messages potentially linked to a foreign terrorist organization.
    — Eric Tucker, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of message
Verb
  • Maintaining a sense of normalcy and a human connection with her constituents has become increasingly difficult as opponents have dialed up their ire—most recently, flocking to Collins’s Maine office to loudly protest July’s ICE shooting.
    — Chris Smith, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Curic and his team have dialed down the caricature and delivered elegance to go with the innate drama of the vehicle, which is less obviously in hock to downforce or to the cooling demands inherent with other McLarens.
    — Jason Barlow, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of dial
Noun
  • On the callback inspection two days later, on Wednesday, the inspector saw nine dead roaches and one live roach.
    — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • For Eilish, the look carries a personal callback to her childhood.
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of callback
Verb
  • Allen drained it to extend Charlotte’s lead to 20, and then found Dennis Schröder for a high-five as Miami called a timeout.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Later, however, a faithful replica, also called the Atlantic, was built.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of call

Browse Nearby Words

cold-bloodedness
cold call
cold-call
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Cite this Entry

“Cold call.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cold%20call. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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