cold open

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cold open

Where it comes from

From cold (“completely unprepared; without introduction”) + open.

noun cold opens

An 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.

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noun

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MLA

"cold open." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cold%20open. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

cold open. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20open

Chicago

"cold open." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20open.

BibTeX

@misc{cold_open_2026,
  title = {cold open},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cold%20open},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}