Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

water cooler

American  

noun

  1. a container for holding drinking water that is cooled and drawn off by a faucet or spigot.

  2. a drinking fountain in which water is cooled by mechanical refrigeration.

water cooler British  

noun

  1. a device for cooling and dispensing drinking water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

  1. informal

    1. indicating the kind of informal conversation among office staff that takes place at such a dispenser

      water-cooler conversations

    2. indicating an event, television programme, etc, sufficiently controversial or otherwise noteworthy to provide subject matter for such conversations

      water-cooler television

      a water-cooler moment
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of water cooler

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

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.

Water cooler comedy is far more common on television these days than at the theater.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2023

Water cooler chatter is now a high-minded pursuit, not just a way to pass the time at work.

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2014

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.