cool

adjective

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\ ˈkül

Definition of cool

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : moderately cold : lacking in warmth The plant grows best in cool climates.

2a : marked by steady dispassionate calmness and self-control a cool and calculating businessperson

b : lacking ardor or friendliness a cool impersonal manner

c of jazz : marked by restrained emotion and the frequent use of counterpoint

d : free from tensions or violence We used to fight, but we're cool now.

3 —used as an intensive a cool million dollars

4 : marked by deliberate effrontery or lack of due respect or discretion a cool reply

5 : facilitating or suggesting relief from heat a cool dress

6a of a color : producing an impression of being cool specifically : of a hue in the range violet through blue to green

b of a musical tone : relatively lacking in timbre or resonance (see resonance sense 2a)

7 informal

a : very good : excellent That was a really cool movie. also : all right Is getting together Friday night cool with you?

b : fashionable, hip … not happy with the new shoes … because they were not "cool."— Celestine Sibley

cool

verb

cooled; cooling; cools

Definition of cool (Entry 2 of 4)

intransitive verb

1 : to become cool : lose heat or warmth placed the pie in the window to cool —sometimes used with off or down

2 : to lose ardor or passion His anger cooled.

transitive verb

1 : to make cool : impart a feeling of coolness to cooled the room with a fan —often used with off or down A swim cooled us off a little.

2a : to moderate the heat, excitement, or force of : calm cooled her growing anger

b : to slow or lessen the growth or activity of —usually used with off or down wants to cool off the economy without freezing it — Newsweek

cool it

: to calm down : go easy The word went out to the young to cool it.— W. M. Young

cool one's heels

: to wait or be kept waiting for a long time especially from or as if from disdain or discourtesy

cool

noun

Definition of cool (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : a cool time, place, or situation the cool of the evening

2a : absence of excitement or emotional involvement : detachment … must surrender his fine cool and enter the closed crazy world of suicide …— Wilfrid Sheed

b : poise, composure The player lost his cool and began yelling at the referee.

3 : hipness

cool

adverb

Definition of cool (Entry 4 of 4)

: in a casual and nonchalant manner play it cool

Other Words from cool Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about cool

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Other Words from cool

Adjective

coolish \ ˈkü-lish

\ adjective

coolly or less commonly cooly \ ˈkü(l)-lē

\ adverb

coolness \ ˈkül-nəs

\ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for cool

Adjective

cool, composed, collected, unruffled, imperturbable, nonchalant mean free from agitation or excitement. cool may imply calmness, deliberateness, or dispassionateness. kept a cool head composed implies freedom from agitation as a result of self-discipline or a sedate disposition. the composed pianist gave a flawless concert collected implies a concentration of mind that eliminates distractions especially in moments of crisis. the nurse stayed calm and collected unruffled suggests apparent serenity and poise in the face of setbacks or in the midst of excitement. harried but unruffled imperturbable implies coolness or assurance even under severe provocation. the speaker remained imperturbable despite the heckling nonchalant stresses an easy coolness of manner or casualness that suggests indifference or unconcern. a nonchalant driver

Examples of cool in a Sentence

Adjective The weather is cool today. The surface is cool to the touch. The plant grows best in cool climates. I'm feeling a little cool. We changed into some cooler clothes. She remained calm, cool, and collected. Verb The fan cools the engine. the cooling effect of the breeze Allow the cake to cool before slicing. the cooling of the ocean waters I took a break from the discussion to allow my anger to cool. His interest in her has cooled somewhat. Noun the judge's customary cool stood him in good stead during the sensational trial I envy you your cool. Adverb Here comes Mom. Act cool and she won't suspect a thing.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective May grew up in a California heavily influenced by Mexican design, particularly hacienda-style houses with eaves that shaded walkways to keep interiors cool. — Sunset Magazine, "A Garden in Every Room: How Cliff May Invented California Living," 22 Jan. 2021 The hot sun was nearing its high point in the sky, but a cool, midday breeze, common in the delta, had begun to blow from the west. — Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, "Delta dilemma: fishing or fresh water?," 10 Dec. 2020 The multi-functional option circulates the purified and humidified air with a cool breeze. — Lauren Levy, NBC News, "Black Friday deals 2020: Best humidifier deals to shop," 25 Nov. 2020 When cool enough to handle, shred chicken with two forks. — Judy Walker, NOLA.com, "Count on your slow cooker to help you keep those New Year's healthy eating resolutions," 26 Jan. 2021 His paintings borrowed aspects of photographic vision (arbitrary cropping, dissonant overlap) and even photographic sensibility (cool, affectless, mechanical). — Washington Post, "An insider’s guide to Paris," 20 Jan. 2021 Transfer chicken to a bowl and when cool enough to handle, shred the meat, discarding the skin and bones. — Kate Merker, Good Housekeeping, "Greek Lemon Chicken Soup," 6 Jan. 2021 Martha returns to work just three weeks later with no explanation, just cool, stony defiance. — Justin Chang Film Critic, Los Angeles Times, "Review: Vanessa Kirby gives a shattering performance in the Netflix drama ‘Pieces of a Woman’," 6 Jan. 2021 Depiction of cool, flowing water, very wet-looking water, and lots of green (green was a big color back in the day; many of Earth’s plants were green). — Seija Rankin, EW.com, "Read Charles Yu's first work of fiction since the National Book Award-winning Interior Chinatown," 5 Jan. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Transfer beef tongue to a work surface and let cool slightly. — Chuck Blount, San Antonio Express-News, "Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Tongue (Lengua) Street Tacos," 8 Feb. 2021 Let cool for 5 minutes before opening the door, then remove the bowl and wipe the inside clean with a sponge. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "How to Clean a Microwave Quickly and Easily, According to a Cleaning Expert," 25 Jan. 2021 Add the leaves and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until greens begin to wilt and soften, about seven to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly. — Kim Sunée, Anchorage Daily News, "Caramelized onions and winter greens combine in a dairy-free dip that feels indulgent," 21 Jan. 2021 Let cool for a few minutes, then cut eggroll on an angle and serve hot. — Judy Walker, NOLA.com, "New Orleans food blogger shares 'Recipes My Daddy Never Wrote Down' in her new cookbook," 12 Jan. 2021 That’s a good safety feature, as rain helps cool the tarp fabric. — T. Edward Nickens, Field & Stream, "Wild Fires," 9 Jan. 2017 Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. — Washington Post, "Warm-from-the-oven sticky pecan rolls will make Christmas, or any special morning, memorable," 23 Dec. 2020 Remove from heat and let cool for at least 30 minutes. — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, "5 cozy winter cocktail recipes from Dallas bartenders," 11 Dec. 2020 Generously sprinkle flake salt over the top and let cool completely before serving. — Christian Reynoso, San Francisco Chronicle, "How to have a smaller, brighter Thanksgiving meal at home," 18 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Her Spicer was explosive and unpredictable, a methodically exaggerated image of the man who was perpetually on the brink of losing his cool at the press secretary’s podium. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, "The One Thing All Great SNL Political Impressions Need," 19 Jan. 2021 Your grand gesture of love may be slightly thwarted, but keeping your cool in a frustrating situation will only make your partner (or prospective partner) fawn over you even more. — Elizabeth Gulino, refinery29.com, "What Venus In Capricorn Means For Your Love Life," 6 Jan. 2021 Considering where on the warm t0 cool spectrum your shades of paint lie. — Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, "How and When to Decorate With Warm Colors, According to a Designer," 26 Jan. 2021 Lionel Messi lost his cool after another Barcelona collapse, hitting an opponent away from the ball and getting a red card in a 3-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the final of the Spanish Super Cup in Seville, Spain. — BostonGlobe.com, "NBA postpones 76ers-Thunder game due to COVID-19 contract tracing," 17 Jan. 2021 Your mission: Make something old cool again, and finish your project by the end of June. — Andrew Daniels, Popular Mechanics, "What’s the Most Ingenious Way You Can Repurpose Your Old Junk?," 1 June 2020 When Pianon first came to work for the Sennas, the two neighbors established a habit of meeting up on Floristella’s porch in the cool of the early morning to drink powerful Sicilian coffee from Floristella’s battered pot. — Andrea Lee, The New Yorker, "The Rivals," 28 Dec. 2020 But before being spirited across the border by smugglers, the teenager joined her mother in the cool of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City. — New York Times, "The Epicenter," 3 Dec. 2020 Note that highs will be above average once again on Sunday with a significant cool down expected through the middle part of the week. — Paul Douglas, Star Tribune, "Warm Sunday, Followed By Record Cold Highs Tuesday & Wednesday," 5 Sep. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb Canon’s camera, however, ran into some early issues with heat reducing the overall usefulness of 8K capture—the body would require long cool-down times after short recording sessions to prevent damaging the electronics. — Popular Science, "Sony’s pro-grade Alpha 1 is the first in a whole new category of cameras," 26 Jan. 2021 There was a clear winner: a cool-toned bronde hue which suited my fair skin perfectly. — Jessica Harris, refinery29.com, "Forget Microblading — Hyperrealism Brows Are Taking Over & They’re So Natural," 6 Jan. 2021 Over a few minutes, a boat can be transferred from one canal to the next in a marvelous -- and cool-looking -- feat of engineering. — Aj Willingham, CNN, "5 things to know for January 5: Senate runoffs, Covid, transition, Jacob Blake, Iran," 5 Jan. 2021 But conditions will quickly turn cool again on Thursday. — Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Weak Santa Ana winds expected Tuesday, elevating San Diego’s wildfire risk," 14 Dec. 2020 The paradigm of what is cool shifted, and Crocs are emblematic of the way young people no longer respond to traditional notions of beauty and glamour (do TikTok teens want to wear frilly frocks or dapper suits?). — Max Berlinger, Los Angeles Times, "Crocs, the kicks you love to hate, are 2020’s cool shoe. Blame Bad Bunny and Bieber," 11 Dec. 2020 The crash action takes place at the unfathomably cool-sounding Rocket Sled Track at Sandia National Laboratory. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "A Semi Truck Crashed Into a U.S. Nuclear Weapons Transporter," 19 Nov. 2020 With emotions running high for Orlando and Atlanta, Pareja said the key for the Lions is to take control of the game early and remain cool-headed through the final minutes. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando City chases win over Atlanta United, bump in standings," 27 Oct. 2020 Microsoft also offered a minor update of its cool-looking but poorly reviewed Surface X tablet, which runs Windows on a custom ARM chip instead of a typical Intel processor. — Aaron Pressman, Fortune, "Microsoft offers cheapest Surface laptop yet to take on Chromebooks," 1 Oct. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cool.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cool

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1968, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for cool

Adjective

Middle English col, going back to Old English cōl, going back to West Germanic *kōlu- (whence also Middle Dutch coele "moderately cold" and, from a variant *kōlja-, Old High German kuoli), lengthened-grade derivative from the base of *kalan- "to be cold" — more at cold entry 1

Verb

Middle English colen, going back to Old English cōlian, verbal derivative from Germanic *kōl- cool entry 1 (whence also Old Saxon colon "to become cool," Old High German kuolēn)

Noun

Middle English cole, derivative of col cool entry 1

Adverb

derivative of cool entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near cool

Statistics for cool

Last Updated

17 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Cool.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cool. Accessed 28 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for cool

cool

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of cool

(Entry 1 of 3)

: somewhat cold : not warm or hot

: made of a light, thin material that helps you stay cool

: able to think and act in a calm way : not affected by strong feelings

cool

verb

English Language Learners Definition of cool (Entry 2 of 3)

: to make (someone or something) cool

: to become cool : to lose heat or warmth

: to become less strong or intense especially in emotion

cool

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of cool (Entry 3 of 3)

informal : in a calm manner : in a way that does not seem unusual or excited

See the full definition for cool in the English Language Learners Dictionary

cool

adjective

\ ˈkül

cooler; coolest

Kids Definition of cool

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : somewhat cold : not warm a cool day a cool room

2 : not letting or keeping in heat cool clothes

3 : calm entry 3 sense 2 She is cool in a crisis.

4 : not interested or friendly He was cool to my idea.

5 : fashionable, stylish, or attractive in a way that is widely approved of

6 : very good excellent

cool

verb

cooled; cooling

Kids Definition of cool (Entry 2 of 3)

: to make or become less warm

cool

noun

Kids Definition of cool (Entry 3 of 3)

1 : a time or place that is not warm the cool of the evening

2 : a calm state of mind Keep your cool.

cool

intransitive verb

Legal Definition of cool

: to lose passion : become calm —sometimes used with off or down the time elapsing…is such that a reasonable man thus provoked would have cooled— W. R. LaFave and A. W. Scott, Jr.

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