refrigerator
Americannoun
-
refrigerators
plural
-
a box, room, or cabinet in which food, drink, etc., are kept cool by means of ice or mechanical refrigeration.
-
the part of a distilling apparatus that cools the volatile material, causing it to condense; condenser; rectifier.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of refrigerator
First recorded in 1605–15; refrigerate + -or 2
Explanation
A refrigerator is a kitchen appliance where you can store your perishable food at a cool temperature. You should store your milk and meat in the refrigerator to keep them from spoiling. The term refrigerator is often shortened to fridge, and because of this, people often mistakenly try to spell refrigerator with a d. Refrigerators come in all sizes, from a small cube that is often used in college dorm rooms by students trying to keep a six-pack of soda cool, to a huge walk-in refrigerator that might be used at a restaurant to cool all the ingredients for the week's meals.
Vocabulary lists containing refrigerator
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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Unit 9
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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:
Vincent swears dogs can be trained to do anything, like open the refrigerator.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
In this system, however, the same quantum refrigerator can supply both heating and cooling.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
He takes vials from his refrigerator of GHK-Cu, which he tells AFP will give him "beautiful skin", and Retatrutide, which will help him "feel less hungry".
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Watching “Scooby-Doo” as a child, I came away with two clear ambitions for adulthood: a side gig solving mysteries and a refrigerator always full of sandwich ingredients.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
I roared as I gave the refrigerator one final, desperate push.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
Slow home sales hurt appliance manufacturers because people typically buy expensive refrigerators and washing machines when they are moving or remodeling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Ervebo vaccine needs to be stored at ultra-low temperatures, however the new Bundibugyo jab is hoped to last for months in normal refrigerators, making it cheaper and easier to deploy to remote areas.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
For instance, the plane doesn’t have enough refrigerators to store large quantities of food, meaning the president’s meals would need to be transported on different aircraft on long trips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Customers and fellow business owners have approached Ghazalian to offer the cafe use of their refrigerators, storage spaces or kitchens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026
I cross the room with the doctor, then stop at the refrigerators.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
