Dictionary

cool off en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To decrease in temperature, activity, or temper.
   • You are getting a little too angry; you need to cool off.
   • The metal will take about three hours to cool off after the molding.
2. (transitive) To cause to decrease in temperature, activity or temper.
   • At first he was very angry, but his friends managed to cool him off.
3. (intransitive) To lose interest or enthusiasm [with on].
   • The YouGov research – contrary to other polls – also suggested Brits have cooled off on the idea of Thatcher's flagship "right to buy" policy 2013 April 18, James Ball, Tom Clark, “Margaret Thatcher taught Britain to love business, poll finds”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2021:
   • But, by Lieb’s account, the scheming for Ruth’s endorsement collapsed when the Black Sox scandal erupted, and the Harding men “cooled off on the whole subject.” 2015 April 11, Michael Beschloss, “Presidents Who Knew the Babe”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 Dec 2022:
   • While talking about freight, I must express my regret that the Government seem to be cooling off on the Channel Tunnel. 1974 December 11, Lord Mowbray and Stourton, “Future Of The Railways”, in House of Lords Hansard, volume 355, column 655:
   • He talked with the Montgomerys and learned that it was working — they were cooling off on the deal. 2019, William Arntz, How to Suffer ... In 10 Easy Steps: Discover, Embrace and Own the Mechanics of Misery, Watkins Media, →ISBN:
4. (intransitive) To be imprisoned.
   • He's cooling off in the state pen.
5. (slang, transitive) To kill (someone).
6. (intransitive, slang) To wait for a furor to die down; to hide during a police manhunt.
   • After doing the job, he went to the safehouse to cool off.
   • Following standard police protocols, a healthy 17-year-old male who walked away after a fight was not treated as an immediate emergency. They assumed he was just cooling off with a friend, but would eventually return. 2026 August 17, Nicholas Muhoro, “Craig Frear Disappeared After Avoiding His Father in 2004, and No Trace of Him Has Ever Been Found”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 18 Aug 2026:

Forms

Deriveds

cooling-off day · cooling-off period

Translations (38)

wa si rafroedi (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa rapåjhî (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru осты́ть (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · uk остига́ти (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru охлади́ться (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk chladnúť (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · pl stygnąć (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · he צִנֵּן (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · uk ости́гнути (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru охлажда́ть (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · he הִצְטַנֵּן (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa rafroedi (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa si rapåjhî (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru охлади́ть (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru остужа́ть (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk upokojiť (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · nl afkoelen (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · hu lelohad (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk chladiť (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · uk ости́гти (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk upokojovať sa (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa si rapåjhter (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · cs zchladit (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · fi jäähdyttää (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk schladiť (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · fi jäähtyä (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru остыва́ть (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · hu lehűl (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk vychladnúť (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa rapåjhter (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru охлажда́ться (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · wa rafroedi (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · de abkühlen (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk upokojovať (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · ru остуди́ть (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · sk upokojiť sa (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · pl ochłonąć (to cause to reduce in temperature, activity or temper) · mi whakapongi (to reduce in temperature, activity or temper)