cool down
Idioms-
Also, cool off.
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Effect a lower temperature, especially of the body following vigorous exercise. For example, After a race the coach makes the entire team do stretches to cool down , or Let's take a dip to cool off . These phrases date from a.d. 1000 with reference to the weather or cooking (as in First let the eggs cool off ). The first gained renewed currency with the exercise boom of the late 1900s.
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See cool off , 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.
After a record-breaking hot streak in March, Southern California is set to cool down this week and get some precipitation, the National Weather Service says.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026
Traditionally, scientists believed the tin nucleus simply released neutrons to cool down, effectively losing any trace of the earlier beta decay event.
From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026
Mist tunnels, water machines and sun umbrellas helped cool down spectators at Melbourne Park.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
Top players spoke of temperatures that "zap you" and used bags of ice to try and cool down in brutal heat touching 40C at the Australian Open on Saturday.
From Barron's • Jan. 24, 2026
Sergio needed some time to cool off, cool down.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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.
