cold open
noun
variants
or less commonly cold opening
plural cold opens also cold openings
: a scene of a film or television episode that precedes the title sequence or opening credits and that typically takes place in medias res
Cold opens are a bold move in any medium. When a movie or TV show drops the audience into its world without so much as a "here's the title," it speaks to a confidence that whatever's about to happen on screen is sufficient enough to immerse, intrigue, and otherwise hook them.—
Alexis Nedd
Alexis NeddFor fans of NBC's "The Office," the cold open from season five's "Casual Friday"—where Kevin spills his famous chili—is one of the show's most beloved scenes.—Addy Bink
Addy BinkThe film lost me right from the overacted cold opening …—Alexa Chipman
Alexa ChipmanExamples of cold open in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Myers was back tonight as Elon Musk for another SNL cold open.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Back in January, Miranda reprised the role of Alexander Hamilton during a Saturday Night Live cold open in which the founding father was interrupted mid-rap by James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025
These cold opens were used as a way to fill airtime, since the dialogue on the show was spoken so quickly and the producers needed something to fill the entire hour.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The evening took off on a rocky note from the jump, with a cobbled together cold open that tried to satirize the off-the-rails Oval Office meeting that took place on Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, and others.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025
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Dominic Patten, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2025
Back in January, Miranda reprised the role of Alexander Hamilton during a Saturday Night Live cold open in which the founding father was interrupted mid-rap by James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2025
These cold opens were used as a way to fill airtime, since the dialogue on the show was spoken so quickly and the producers needed something to fill the entire hour.
—Marc Berman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
The evening took off on a rocky note from the jump, with a cobbled together cold open that tried to satirize the off-the-rails Oval Office meeting that took place on Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio, and others.
—Harrison Richlin, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cold open
Articles Related to cold open
Cite this Entry
“Cold open.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cold%20open. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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