in a cold sweat

in a cold sweat

Sweating because one is nervous or frightened. Any time I have to get blood drawn, I break out in a cold sweat the minute I get to the doctor's office. I used to be terrified of driving, but now I can get behind the wheel without breaking out in a cold sweat! I knew I was going to throw up when I suddenly became dizzy and broke out in a cold sweat.

See also: cold, sweat

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

in a cold sweat

in a state of fear. He stood there in a cold sweat, waiting for something bad to happen. I was in a cold sweat while they counted the ballots.

See also: cold, sweat

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

in a cold sweat

Feeling nervous or terrified, as in When I looked over the cliff, I broke out in a cold sweat. This expression refers to perspiring accompanied by a feeling of cold, which can be induced by acute fear as well as by fever. [Late 1700s]

See also: cold, sweat

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

in a cold sweat

or

in a sweat

If someone is in a cold sweat or in a sweat, they are feeling extremely anxious or afraid. She was in a cold sweat thinking of what the next day's visit would bring. She dialled his number every half-hour. No reply. By two in the morning she was in a sweat of totally illogical jealousy. Note: People often say that they wake up in a cold sweat, meaning that they suddenly wake up, feeling extremely anxious or afraid. I woke up in a cold sweat, thinking I'd made the wrong decision. Note: You can also say that something brings you out in a cold sweat or that you come out in a cold sweat thinking about something. I still come out in a cold sweat thinking about what might have happened. Thoughts of the bank loan brought him out in a cold sweat.

See also: cold, sweat

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

in a cold sweat

in a state of sweating induced by fear, nervousness, or illness.

See also: cold, sweat

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

in a cold sweat

mod. in a state of fear. He stood there in a cold sweat, waiting for something to happen.

See also: cold, sweat

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.