I. cool 1 S2 W3 /kuːl/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative cooler , superlative coolest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ cool , ↑ coolness , ↑ cooler , ↑ coolant ; verb : ↑ cool ; adverb : ↑ coolly ; adjective : ↑ cool ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: col ]
1 . TEMPERATURE low in temperature, but not cold, often in a way that feels pleasant:
She swam out into the cool water.
The evening air was cool.
Relax in the sun with a cool drink.
the cooler weather of September
2 . CLOTHING clothing that is cool is made of thin material so that you do not become too hot:
a cool cotton dress
3 . CALM calm and not nervous, upset, or excited
keep/stay cool
his ability to keep cool in a crisis
She looks efficient and as cool as a cucumber.
Outwardly she is cool, calm, and collected.
a cool customer (=someone who always behaves calmly)
Keep a cool head (=stay calm) .
4 . APPROVAL informal very attractive, fashionable, interesting etc in a way that people admire – used in order to show approval:
She’s pretty cool.
You look cool in denim.
Cool bike!
‘I’m thinking of studying abroad.’ ‘Really? Cool.’
5 . AGREEMENT spoken used to say that you agree with something, that you understand it, or that it does not annoy you:
OK, Ryan, that’s cool, I can do it.
‘I just have to go, you know.’ ‘It’s all right, it’s cool.’
‘I’m finished.’ ‘Cool.’
cool about
My mum was cool about whatever I wore.
something is cool with somebody
Is Friday cool with you guys?
somebody is cool with something
‘Do you want to come over and watch a video tonight?’ ‘I’m cool with that.’
6 . NOT FRIENDLY behaving in a way that is not as friendly as you expect:
My proposal met with a cool response.
Luke gave her a cool look.
7 . COLOUR a cool colour is one, such as blue or green, that makes you think of cool things
8 . a cool million/hundred thousand etc informal a surprisingly large amount of money:
He earns a cool half million every year.
—coolness noun [uncountable] :
the coolness of the nights
—coolly adverb :
She nodded coolly and walked out.
II. cool 2 S2 BrE AmE verb
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ cool , ↑ coolness , ↑ cooler , ↑ coolant ; verb : ↑ cool ; adverb : ↑ coolly ; adjective : ↑ cool ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] ( also cool down ) to make something slightly colder, or to become slightly colder:
The air conditioning doesn’t seem to be cooling the room much.
Allow the biscuits to cool for five minutes.
a cooling breeze
2 . [intransitive] if a feeling, emotion, or relationship cools, it becomes less strong:
The affair had cooled, on her side at least.
When tempers had cooled, he apologized.
3 . cool it spoken
a) used to tell someone to stop being angry, violent etc:
Come on now – calm down, cool it.
b) to stop putting as much effort into something, or pressure on someone, as you have been:
He was getting more serious about her. It was time to cool it.
4 . cool your heels to be forced to wait:
I’ll put him in a cell to cool his heels for a bit.
cool down phrasal verb
1 . to make something slightly colder, or to become slightly colder:
The air has cooled down a little now.
cool somebody/something ↔ down
A cold beer will cool you down.
2 . to become calm after being angry:
After I cooled down I realized I had been wrong.
cool off phrasal verb
1 . to return to a normal temperature after being hot:
Cool off with an iced drink.
By late autumn Mediterranean islands have cooled off, and can have rainy days.
2 . to become calm after being angry SYN calm down :
He slammed the door and went for a walk to cool off.
III. cool 3 BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ cool , ↑ coolness , ↑ cooler , ↑ coolant ; verb : ↑ cool ; adverb : ↑ coolly ; adjective : ↑ cool ]
1 . the cool a temperature that is pleasantly cold
the cool of
They went for a stroll in the cool of the evening.
2 . keep your cool to remain calm in a frightening or difficult situation:
I must keep my cool, she thought; losing my temper isn’t going to help.
3 . lose your cool to stop being calm in an annoying or frightening situation:
Kenneth finally lost his cool with a photographer, and threatened to hit him.
IV. cool 4 BrE AmE adverb
play it cool to behave in a calm way because you do not want someone to know that you are really nervous, angry etc:
She would not show him how upset she was. It was always smarter to play it cool.