cooling center

American

[kool-ing sen-ter] / ˈkul ɪŋ ˌsɛn tər /

Sometimes cooling shelter

noun

Also called cooling station. an air-conditioned or otherwise cooled facility, such as a school, library, or mall, that is open to the public during a period of hot weather in order to provide relief from the heat.

The Department of Health can assist in arranging transportation to a local cooling center.

Etymology

Origin of cooling center

First recorded in 1975–80

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.

See Examples For:

cooling center

Where you can find your nearest cooling center:

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2025

Potential steps in these preparedness plans could include reducing earthquake vulnerability in the church as well as members’ homes, stocking emergency supplies of water and food or creating a cooling center for intense heat waves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2023

“The library protects the homeless in our community as a warming and cooling center and as a safe and free place for parents to take their children.”

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 20, 2023

While not a designated cooling center, the nonprofit facility can hold roughly 40 people at a time for brief cooldowns.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 17, 2023

The Salvation Army has also offered a daytime cooling center in Las Vegas, which saw a daily average of 250 visitors last week.

From New York Times ● Jul. 15, 2023

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023