cool off
Idioms-
see cool down .
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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.”
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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.
On the flip side, Florida homeowners are feeling some relief as premiums cool off.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
Conditions are expected to cool off a bit Thursday, although it’s not yet clear how much, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Iselle move over the state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Steele said the team was "literally on their knees" and had to put their feet in ice blocks just to cool off.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
In times of extreme heat, sunburns are even more dangerous because they limit the body’s ability to cool off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
And that would fan the fire for sure, get the pot boiling just when it had started to cool off.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
