refrigerator
Americannoun
-
refrigerators
plural
-
a box, room, or cabinet in which food, drink, etc., are kept cool by means of ice or mechanical refrigeration.
-
the part of a distilling apparatus that cools the volatile material, causing it to condense; condenser; rectifier.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of refrigerator
First recorded in 1605–15; refrigerate + -or 2
Explanation
A refrigerator is a kitchen appliance where you can store your perishable food at a cool temperature. You should store your milk and meat in the refrigerator to keep them from spoiling. The term refrigerator is often shortened to fridge, and because of this, people often mistakenly try to spell refrigerator with a d. Refrigerators come in all sizes, from a small cube that is often used in college dorm rooms by students trying to keep a six-pack of soda cool, to a huge walk-in refrigerator that might be used at a restaurant to cool all the ingredients for the week's meals.
Vocabulary lists containing refrigerator
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Unit 9
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Yellow caution tape fluttered in the wind as water poured into a room strewn with wooden debris, an upturned refrigerator and a television.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
For Kerr, that opportunity came between shifts refilling the refrigerator at 7-Eleven, when he played for the Reno Astros, a local semi-professional club.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
"I tried to lift everything up, but I gave up on large electric appliances like the refrigerator and washing machine. I guess they are broken."
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Someone can live in a country with an enormous agricultural surplus and still have an empty refrigerator or live in a food desert.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
At first, Mosley pretended like he was there to fix something, like the dishwasher or the refrigerator, but he eventually abandoned the charade, and now he just came over for lunch.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
While most people have likely never heard of an actuator, they’re found across daily life — used in everything from smartphones and computers to refrigerators and cars, to convert power into motion.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The units contained amenities including air conditioners, big-screen televisions, refrigerators, sofas and dining areas.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Smart ovens, refrigerators, and doorbells have all gotten the camera treatment, attempting to close the gaps of mystery in our daily lives.
From Slate ● Sep. 14, 2026
Plug-in solar panels that can power refrigerators and other household appliances are getting more common.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Well, I’m telling you, it’s the same. There’s bathtubs and refrigerators and rugs and TVs and beds . . .” Grayson was wagging his head.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
