give someone the cold shoulder

Meaning

To deliberately ignore someone, treat them in an unfriendly way, or refuse to speak to them. This behavior is usually a passive-aggressive reaction to an argument, a perceived insult, or a mistake the other person made.

Examples

• After their fight on Friday, she gave him the cold shoulder all weekend.

  After their fight on Friday, she gave him the cold shoulder all weekend.

• I don't know why my classmates are giving me the cold shoulder today.

  I don't know why my classmates are giving me the cold shoulder today.

• Instead of telling me what was wrong, he just gave me the cold shoulder.

  Instead of telling me what was wrong, he just gave me the cold shoulder.

• If you apologize, she might stop giving you the cold shoulder.

  If you apologize, she might stop giving you the cold shoulder.

• She felt hurt when her old friends gave her the cold shoulder at the reunion.

  She felt hurt when her old friends gave her the cold shoulder at the reunion.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ She gave the cold shoulder to me.

  ✓ She gave me the cold shoulder.

  While 'give the cold shoulder to someone' is grammatically possible, the far more natural and common conversational pattern is 'give [someone] the cold shoulder'.

• ✗ He made me a cold shoulder because he was angry.

  ✓ He gave me the cold shoulder because he was angry.

  The verb in this idiom is strictly 'give' (or 'get' if you are the recipient). You cannot use 'make'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Ever since I forgot her birthday, Sarah has been ___.

  💡 ignoring me or treating me coldly (use -ing form with 'me')

  Show answer

  giving me the cold shoulder

• I tried to talk to him at the party, but he just ___.

  💡 ignored me in an unfriendly way (use past tense with 'me')

  Show answer

  gave me the cold shoulder