Phrase guide

come in from the cold

verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • kŭm′ ĭn′ frəm thə kōld′
  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkəʊ̯ld/
  • Canada, General-American: /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkoʊ̯ld/
  • Australian: /ˈkɐm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkəʉ̯ld/
  • New-Zealand: /ˈkɐm ˌən fɹəm ðə ˈkɐʉ̯ld/
  • Scotland: /ˈkʌm ˌɪn fɹəm ðə ˈkold/
  • India: /ˈkəm ˌɪn fɾom d̪e ˈkoːlɖ/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

Of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

Topics: espionage, government, military, politics, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To gain widespread acceptance in a group or society, especially where there was not any before.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, idiomatic, intransitive

Examples

  • Long an outsider in Western politics, Portugal came in from the cold after the 1974 Carnation Revolution.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Literally, the term refers to someone who is outdoors when the weather is cold coming indoors to a warm place. The idiomatic senses were popularized by the title of the novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963) by the British author John le Carré (1931–2020); “the Cold” is a pun on the Cold War, during which the novel is set.

Across languages

Translations

4 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: palata kotiin — of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory
  • Hebrew: חָזַר מִן הַכְּפוֹר (khazár min hakfór) — of a spy: to return home after having gone undercover in enemy territory
  • Finnish: tulla esiin pimennosta — to gain widespread acceptance in a group or society, especially where there was not any before
  • French: venir du froid — to gain widespread acceptance in a group or society, especially where there was not any before