cooler

noun

cool·​er ˈkü-lər How to pronounce cooler (audio)
1
: one that cools: such as
a
: a container for cooling liquids
2
: lockup, jail
especially : a cell for violent or unmanageable prisoners
3
: an iced drink usually with an alcoholic beverage as a base

Examples of cooler in a Sentence

The sodas are in the cooler. plea-bargained to avoid spending time in the cooler
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Each morning, butlers set up our cabana and coolers, remembering our drink and snack preferences. Essence, 18 Oct. 2025 Raw meat was stored on unclean storage racks in the walk-in cooler, while containers of cooked dumplings and dumpling filling were stored on the floor. Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 17 Oct. 2025 Kids sell snacks and bottles of water to fans passing through the neighborhood, and their parents pull out coolers and lawn chairs to watch fans walking into the stadium. Austin Meek, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025 Let’s start with some of the 27 dead roaches, a full third of which (that’s nine) were in two roach traps inside a reach-in cooler at the kitchen expo line, where your food is staged before being brought to you. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cooler

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cooler was circa 1550

Cite this Entry

“Cooler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooler. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

cooler

noun
cool·​er ˈkü-lər How to pronounce cooler (audio)
: a container for keeping food or drink cool

More from Merriam-Webster on cooler

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!