cooler

[ koo-ler ]

noun

1. a container or apparatus, as an insulated chest, in which something may be cooled or kept cool.
2. anything that cools or makes cool; refrigerant.
3. an air conditioner.
4. a tall drink, consisting of liquor, soda, and a fruit garnish.
5. water cooler.
6. the cooler, Slang. jail:

   He was in the cooler for three months for petty theft.

7. Ice Hockey Slang. penalty box.

cooler

/ ˈkuːlə /

noun

1. a container, vessel, or apparatus for cooling, such as a heat exchanger
2. See prison
   a slang word for prison
3. a drink consisting of wine, fruit juice, and carbonated water

Word History and Origins

Origin of cooler¹

First recorded in 1565–75; cool + -er ¹

Example Sentences

They can be worn under heavier coats for extreme cold, or worn on their own on cooler weather days.

From Popular-Science

The trend, starting tomorrow, is for cooler and cooler days ahead, along with just a bit less breeze.

From Washington Post

If you’re doing calculations, you may even want to aim for a water temperature that will get you slightly above the desired dough temperature initially, Philip says, because the dough will start to lose heat in a cooler environment.

From Washington Post

While you may not worry so much about an actual cooler if you live in a cold climate, you’ll still want to ensure that drinks are easy to come by for everyone.

From Popular-Science

As shown in the chart below, strong El Niño years tend to be associated with warm records, while the cycle's opposing conditions, called La Niña, are typically associated with cooler conditions.

From Ars Technica

If 2014 was any indication, the coming TV schedule is sure to be filled with plenty of water-cooler shows.

From The Daily Beast

We were able, hopefully, to educate those policy makers… As of December of this year, cooler heads have prevailed.

From The Daily Beast

Some, like Norman Mailer, adopted the cooler pose of being casually interested in the possibility.

From The Daily Beast

A bottle of locally brewed liquor chills in a water cooler in the corner, a Pepsi bottle next to it for mixing.

From The Daily Beast

“My ideal is that this conversation happens at the water cooler,” Tambor says.

From The Daily Beast

If you use it wisely, it may be Ulysses' hauberk; if you reject it, the shirt of Nessus were a cooler winding-sheet!

From Project Gutenberg

Say, old-timer, is it right about Mac losing his stripes and getting thirty days in the cooler?

From Project Gutenberg

A cool head, his; never a cooler brought thought to bear upon perplexity; nevertheless it was not feeling very collected now.

From Project Gutenberg

Donald has a still cooler head than his neighbour John Bull, and that is saying a good deal.

From Project Gutenberg

Lifted upward, the air as it ascends the slopes is brought into cooler and more rarefied conditions.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• container