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.
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
The RBA has already acted to cool off inflation with interest rate increases in February and March, saying it will do what is needed to get it lower.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Until geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela cool off, moves in oil will likely be brief, sharp, and sporadic as investors respond to the day’s news.
From Barron's • Dec. 22, 2025
After his Melbourne exit, the 24-time Grand Slam champion said he and Murray would need to "cool off" before discussing the future.
From BBC • Feb. 18, 2025
‘Come on. Let’s jump in the water and cool off.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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.
