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chiller

American  
[chil-er] / ˈtʃɪl ər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that chills.

  2. Informal. a frightening or suspenseful story or film; melodrama.

  3. a device for cooling or refrigerating.

chiller British  
/ ˈtʃɪlə /

noun

  1. informal short for spine-chiller

  2. a refrigerated storage area for meat

"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 chiller

First recorded in 1790–1800; chill + -er 1

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.

Instead, heat and exhaust from the Caterpillar generator engines will be repurposed in a water chiller system to keep server rooms cool.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 30, 2025

“We’re just like a chiller, more polite, Japanese ‘Jerry Springer’ show,” Okatsuka cracks of her familial backstory.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2025

He had a choice between Anisa Khan, who sells Indian food-flavoured pizzas, and Dean Franklin, who runs an air conditioning company, in a battle he billed as "chilli versus the chiller".

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2025

This remake of “Road House” has a chiller vibe than the 1989 film which was rough, mean and hungry.

From Salon • Mar. 22, 2024

We have this salad chiller bowl, and I guess Calvin is right.

From "The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle" by Leslie Connor

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.