cool off
Idioms-
see cool down .
-
Also, . Calm down, become less ardent, angry, or agitated, as in We can't discuss it until you've cooled off . The verb cool alone has been used in this sense since approximately a.d. 1000; off and down were added in the late 1800s, and Davy Crockett's Almanac (1836) had: “Resting a while, just long enough to cool out a little.”
-
Also, cool out . Kill someone, as in They threatened to cool off his brother . [ Slang ; first half of 1800s] Also see cool out , def. 2.
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.
It gives a new stock’s early volatility time to cool off while institutional investors accumulate shares, establishing a potential price floor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
If you don’t want to stop the fun while you take a break from the heat, the Do Lab is always a good place to catch some shade, dance and cool off.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
You do heat up and you do sweat, and I just take off my coat to cool off and always keep my hat and Spyder gloves to keep my hands warm.
From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026
"I view today's decline as a correction to cool off an overheated market -- a phase of adjustment," Chung Hae-chang, analyst at Daishin Securities, told AFP.
From Barron's • Nov. 5, 2025
He walked on top of fallen trees to cool off.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
![]()
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.