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.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service recently warned people about the dangers of the water for people who might be "tempted to cool off".
From BBC • May 26, 2026
Things are expected to then cool off a bit Friday due to a stronger sea breeze and partly cloudy skies.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
I went into the ocean just to cool off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 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
“You’re going to sit down, see? And cool off.’
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
