/ kuːl; NAmE / adjective , verb , noun
■ adjective
( cool·er , cool·est )
FAIRLY COLD
1.
fairly cold; not hot or warm :
a cool breeze / drink / climate
Cooler weather is forecast for the weekend.
Let's sit in the shade and keep cool.
Store lemons in a cool dry place.
➡ note at cold
COLOURS
2.
making you feel pleasantly cool :
a room painted in cool greens and blues
CALM
3.
calm; not excited, angry or emotional :
Keep cool!
She tried to remain cool, calm and collected (= calm) .
He has a cool head (= he stays calm in an emergency) .
NOT FRIENDLY / ENTHUSIASTIC
4.
not friendly, interested or enthusiastic :
She was decidedly cool about the proposal.
They gave the Prime Minister a cool reception .
APPROVING
5.
( informal ) used to show that you admire or approve of something because it is fashionable, attractive and often different :
You look pretty cool with that new haircut.
It's a cool movie.
➡ note at great
6.
( informal ) people say Cool! or That's cool to show that they approve of sth or agree to a suggestion :
'We're meeting Jake for lunch and we can go on the yacht in the afternoon.' 'Cool!'
'Can you come at 10.30 tomorrow?' 'That's cool'.
I was surprised that she got the job, but I'm cool with it (= it's not a problem for me) .
CONFIDENT
7.
( informal ) calm and confident in a way that lacks respect for other people, but makes people admire you as well as disapprove :
She just took his keys and walked out with them, cool as you please.
MONEY
8.
[ only before noun ] ( informal ) used about a sum of money to emphasize how large it is :
The car cost a cool thirty thousand.
—see also coolly , coolness
•
IDIOMS
- (as) cool as a cucumber
- play it cool
■ verb
BECOME COLDER
1.
to become or to make sb/sth become cool or cooler :
[ v ]
Glass contracts as it cools.
[ vn ]
The cylinder is cooled by a jet of water.
BECOME CALMER
2.
[ v ] to become calmer, less excited or less enthusiastic :
I think we should wait until tempers have cooled.
Relations between them have definitely cooled (= they are not as friendly with each other as they were) .
•
IDIOMS
- cool it!
- cool your heels
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- cool down / off
- cool sb down / off
- cool sth down / off
■ noun
the cool [ sing. ] cool air or a cool place :
the cool of the evening
•
IDIOMS
- keep your cool
- lose your cool
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English cōl (noun), cōlian (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch koel , also to cold .