Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for cooling-off period. Search instead for prolonged-time period.
Synonyms

cooling-off period

American  

noun

  1. a period arranged by agreement to allow for negotiation and an abatement of tension between disputing parties.

    The law calls for a cooling-off period before a strike can begin.
cooling-off period British  

noun

  1. a period during which the contending sides to a dispute reconsider their options before taking further action

  2. a statutory period, often 14 days, that begins when a sale contract or life-assurance policy is received by a member of the public, during which the contract or policy can be cancelled without loss

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cooling-off period

First recorded in 1945–50

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.

Depending on the answer, it might be time for a cooling-off period.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 29, 2026

After four of them, there was a brief pause, or a cooling-off period with little movement, before the index, and the broader stock market, made a higher high.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 8, 2025

It would require a one-year cooling-off period before an employee of the state government’s executive branch could be appointed to the commission.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

While consumer law gives individuals a cooling-off period after signing a contract, there is no such protection for businesses.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2024

Kennedy requested a cooling-off period, but the freedom riders would not listen.

From The Black Experience in America by Coombs, Norman

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.