cool down

1. See cool off , def. 2.

2. Effect a lower temperature, especially of the body following vigorous exercise. For example, After a race the coach makes the entire team do stretches to cool down , or Let's take a dip to cool off . These phrases date from a.d. 1000 with reference to the weather or cooking (as in First let the eggs cool off ). The first gained renewed currency with the exercise boom of the late 1900s.

Idioms and Phrases

Also, cool off .

Example Sentences

With 2023 being the hottest year on record and 25% of the global population experiencing dangerous levels of extreme heat, canopy cover was urgently needed to cool down our cities, he said.

From Science Daily

She cited an old adage: The House of Representatives is the hot tea, and the Senate is the saucer where things cool down.

From Los Angeles Times

The weather will start to cool down on Saturday as a cold front pushes southwards, with the air turning progressively colder into next week as an Arctic air mass becomes established.

From BBC

It not only rapidly boils water but also cools down quickly, meaning you don’t have to wait several minutes to put it back into your pack.

From Los Angeles Times

“Our goal is to get to everything these next few weeks now that it's cooled down,” Materna recalled.

From Salon

Related Words

• curb
• decrease
• define
• diminish
• hamper
• impede
• inhibit
• limit
• narrow
• reduce
• regulate
• restrain
• shorten