Meanings
nouncold open (plural cold opens)
plural cold opens
- broadcastingAn opening segment shown before the opening credits, often there is no context given to the segment.
The best way to find out how the series you're writing for uses teasers or cold opens is to get your hands on a script.
2004, James Mendrinos, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Comedy Writing1 more example
Colin Jost and Michael Che cover the same ground as the cold open, reporting on Trump’s clown car cabinet picks […].
2024 November 17, Zach Vasquez, “Saturday Night Live: Charli xcx has fun in otherwise middle of the road episode”, in The Guardian, →ISSN
Synonyms & antonyms
Opposite
Origin
From cold (“completely unprepared; without introduction”) + open.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
cold open. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20open
MLA
“cold open.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20open. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cold open,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cold%20open.
Source: cold open on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.