Cool down meaning
Cool down means to become less hot, or make something less hot. It can also mean to become calmer after being angry or excited.
cool something down
cool down · cooled · cooling
Let the cake cool down before you cut it.
Cool down meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Become less hot, or make something less hot
cool something down
- Let the cake cool down before you cut it.
- We jumped in the lake to cool down.
- Blow on your soup to cool it down.
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2
Become calmer after being angry or excited
cool down
- Wait until he’s cooled down before you talk to him.
- Let’s take a break and cool down a bit.
- She didn’t cool down for hours after the argument.
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3
Do slow, easy exercise after hard exercise
cool down
- Walk for five minutes to cool down after your run.
- Don’t forget to stretch and cool down.
- The coach makes us cool down at the end of practice.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use cool down in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is cool down separable?
Cool down often has no object: The tea cooled down. With an object, it is separable: cool the room down, cool it down.
The noun cool-down (or cooldown) is the easy part at the end of a workout. Cool off means almost the same as cool down for heat and anger.
Verb tenses for cool down
| Present | I cool down · she cools down |
|---|---|
| Past | cooled down |
| Present perfect | have cooled down |
| -ing form | cooling down |
Common mistakes with cool down
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: The fan cooled down me.
Right: The fan cooled me down.
A pronoun goes between cool and down.
Wrong: Put the milk in the fridge to cool down it.
Right: Put the milk in the fridge to cool it down.
Again, the pronoun goes in the middle.
Wrong: After the fight, I needed to cool.
Right: After the fight, I needed to cool down.
For people and feelings, keep down or off.
Synonyms and opposites of cool down
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- calm downbecome less upset; not about temperature
- cool offalmost the same for heat and anger
- chillmake food or drink cold, often in the fridge
Opposite
- heat upbecome hot or make something hot
- warm upbecome warmer, or exercise before sport
Cool down quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1The pizza is very hot. Wait for it to ___.
Food cools down when it becomes less hot.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between cool and down.
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3At the gym: “Now five minutes on the bike to cool down.” What is this?
Cool down after sport means do slow, easy exercise.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- put downB1place something you are holding on a table or the floor
- take downB2remove something from a wall or a high place, or take it apart
- come downA2move down to a lower place, towards the speaker
- go downB1become lower, like a price, a number or a temperature
- turn downB2say no to an offer, an invitation or a person
- break downB2stop working, used for cars and machines
- fall downB1drop to the ground from a standing position
- cut downB1eat, drink or use less of something
Cool down FAQ
Questions people ask about cool down.
What is the difference between cool down and calm down?
Cool down is for temperature and also for anger. Calm down is only for feelings: Calm down, it’s OK.
What is a cool-down in sport?
It is easy exercise and stretching after hard exercise, so your heart slows down gently.
Cool down or cool off?
They are very close. Cool off is often used for a quick swim or a short break: Let’s cool off in the pool.
Use cool down in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.