Short for Cologne water, made in Cologne since 1709
Cologne is a type of perfume, a liquid that smells good and is meant to be dabbed behind your ears. When you get dressed up for a night on the town, you might be sure to put some cologne on your neck. Both men and women wear cologne, which is scented with extracts or oils in a base of alcohol and water. Cologne is considered a kind of toilet water, which is less concentrated than perfume — and can be applied more liberally. If you've ever stood in an elevator with a man wearing an excessive amount of cologne, you know there can be too much of a good thing. The word is from the French eau de Cologne, "water from Cologne (Germany)."
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Not everyone is thrilled at the thought of spritzing French cologne onto this famously unvarnished industry.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
“When you put this cologne on, you don’t even know you’ve already lost.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
He sprayed Sharaa with Trump-branded cologne, before presenting him with his own supply to take home for his wife, jokingly asking him how many he has.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025
My 13-year-old has a medicine cabinet full of cologne and was way more excited about our new Harry’s fragrances than any other product we’ve made.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
I crawl into my dad’s side of the bed, which smells faintly of his cologne, and drift into a light sleep.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
