refrigerator

noun

re·​frig·​er·​a·​tor ri-ˈfri-jə-ˌrā-tər 

: something that refrigerates

especially : a room or appliance for keeping food or other items cool

Examples of refrigerator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Store it in a cool, dry place — not in the refrigerator — for up to a month. — Carole Kotkin, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026

Users can add up to four microinverters, which Hoymiles says can generate up to 2,403 kWh a year, or enough to comfortably cover daily use of a refrigerator, TV, laptop, and household lighting. — Kate Gammon, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

This woman was taking things out of the refrigerator and putting them into the trash can. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 15 Oct. 2026

Ignoring the Work Triangle Ignore the wisdom of the kitchen work triangle—in which the sink, cooktop, and refrigerator are arranged to make meal prep and cooking more efficient—at your peril. — Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 14 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing refrigerator

• refrigerator magnet

Rhymes for refrigerator

• accelerator
• accumulator
• adjudicator
• administrator
• appropriator
• articulator
• attenuator
• bronchodilator
• collaborator
• communicator
• conciliator
• cooperator

Video

Why is there a 'd' in 'fridge' but not in 'refrigerator'?

English sometimes does not follow the path you expect. Like when refrigerator is shortened to fridge. Serenity Carr explains how the latter ended up spelled the way it is.

Transcript

Why is there a D in fridge but not in refrigerator? As a general rule, a G at the end of a word sounds like the G in flag and hog. Anywhere else in a word, it can sound like either gesture or forget. The G in refrigerator follows this rule. If we shortened refrigerator to fridge we're left with F-R-I-G. But wouldn't that rhyme with sprig? The spelling with a D most likely came into use because English speakers wanted it to follow the pattern of other familiar words, like bridge, ridge and smidge.

Kids Definition

refrigerator

noun

re·​frig·​er·​a·​tor ri-ˈfrij-ə-ˌrāt-ər 

: a device or room for keeping articles (as food) cool