Definition of "cold-shoulder" [cold-shoulder]

• To disrespect someone, especially by ignoring them. (verb)

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• "When Japan arrested the captain of one such fishing vessel that rammed Japanese ships last fall, Beijing responded by cutting off crucial industrial mineral exports, arresting innocent Japanese workers in China, and giving the cold-shoulder to the Japanese ambassador."
• "Mr. Rapson's biggest complaint was the city's cold-shoulder treatment of Toni Griffin, a well-regarded urban planner from Harvard whom Kresge had recruited to help guide Detroit Works."
• "Turning your back on a dog can send a much more powerful message than screaming and yelling—the “cold-shoulder treatment” works on almost every social creature and is a lot more effective than physical corrections or the infliction of pain."