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• cologne
  cologne

  noun

  a mildly perfumed toilet water; eau de Cologne.
• Cologne
  Cologne

  noun

  a city in W Germany.

cologne

¹ American  

[kuh-lohn] / kəˈloʊn /

noun

• colognes
  plural

1. a mildly perfumed toilet water; eau de Cologne.

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Cologne ² American  

[kuh-lohn] / kəˈloʊn /

noun

1. a city in W Germany.

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Cologne ¹ British  

/ kəˈləʊn /

noun

1. German name: Köln.  an industrial city and river port in W Germany, in North Rhine-Westphalia on the Rhine: important commercially since ancient times; university (1388). Pop: 965 954 (2003 est)

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cologne ² British  

/ kəˈləʊn /

noun

1. Also called: Cologne water.   eau de Cologne.  a perfumed liquid or solid made of fragrant essential oils and alcohol

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Cologne Cultural  

1. City in western Germany on the Rhine River; a commercial center.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cologned
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• colognes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cologne

Short for Cologne water, made in Cologne since 1709

Explanation

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)."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cologne Cologne colognes

“I don’t think it’s about the wine pairings” and knowing how much cologne to spray, said Anirudh Pai, 27, a founder turned investor who attended the class.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

Dodge thought she had avoided any repeats when she settled on some cologne from Abercrombie & Fitch for her son.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 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

The thing about guys trying to be like Charlie Sheen is they wear borrowed danger like drugstore cologne.

From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2025

Even across the gym, it seemed she could smell his stifling cologne.

From "Forged by Fire" by Sharon M. Draper

The findings come from an interdisciplinary group of neuroscientists and clinicians at the University Hospitals of Cologne and Düsseldorf, Harvard Medical School and Charité Berlin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

There would still be shipping on the river in the Netherlands and in Germany up to around Cologne, and further south on several tributaries, he said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Last week, levels were measured in Cologne in western Germany and in Lobith, where the Rhine crosses from Germany into the Netherlands, that were lower than at any point since records began.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

“I left Paris thinking I’m going to goof off now,” Conlon explained, having for seven of his nine Paris years retained his positions in Cologne, shuttling between two exceptionally demanding jobs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

Seeing the spire of Cologne Cathedral that day meant more to me than all the sermons I had ever listened to.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

The perfumes and colognes are selling for nearly $200.

From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2024

He rotates among three colognes: one for when he feels good, one for when he said he feels “dangerous” and another for when he tries to break up the team’s losing streak.

From New York Times ● May 22, 2022

That’s probably because Calone is employed as an ingredient in a vast array of colognes and perfumes, including scents by Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Christian Dior.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2021

"When I started advertising, all of a sudden it became one of the best colognes out there. I was doing appearances; 15,000, 18,000, 20,000 people were showing up outside of Saks Fifth Avenue."

From Fox News ● Aug. 20, 2021

He goes shopping with her on Madison Avenue at stores they must be buzzed into, for cashmere cardigans and outrageously expensive English colognes that Maxine buys without deliberation or guilt.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri