What does "cooler" mean?
Anything which cools.
Cooler
/ˈkuː.lə(ɹ)/ adj, name, noun, slang
adj, name, noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Anything which cools.
- Grammar: cooler is listed as adj, name, noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: air cooler, brig, brisker, bucket.
- Useful contrasts: dorkier, hotter, steamier.
- Usage evidence: As the day got cooler, I had to put on a sweater.
How to use "cooler"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cooler" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cooler" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cooler" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cooler" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cooler" is acting as adj, name, noun, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "air cooler" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cooler", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Anything which cools.
"If acid Things were used only as Coolers, they would not be so proper in this Case."
- 2 a refrigerator for cooling liquids wordnet
- 3 An insulated bin or box used with ice or freezer packs to keep food or beverages cold while picnicking or camping.
"While Brown distracted the usually hyperfocused Mangini, safety Kerry Rhodes and linebackers Eric Barton and Jonathan Vilma grabbed a cooler of Gatorade and surreptitiously assumed their positions according to plan."
- 4 a cell for violent prisoners wordnet
- 5 A device for refrigerating dead bodies in a morgue.
"He recalls that experience in a smooth, speedy story, “The Monster Mash,” but these days he’s not sure he liked it too much — the disembowelings, the coolers of brains, the stench of decomposing corpses (“the smell of job security,” as one pathologist puts it) terrify him."
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 an iced drink especially white wine and fruit juice wordnet
- 7 A type of drink made with alcohol, especially wine, mixed with fruit juice. Canada, South-Africa, countable, uncountable
"They served wine coolers in the afternoon."
- 8 samalamig drink (sweet chilled beverage, such as chilled fruit juice or other flavors like chocolate, coffee, sweet corn, etc., usually mixed with either shredded jelly and/or sago pearls or tapioca pearls) Philippines, countable
- 9 Ellipsis of air cooler, evaporative cooler, desert cooler, or swamp cooler. India, abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis
- 10 A prison. US, slang
"About a year or so back we had him in the cooler on a Mann Act rap."
- 11 A bouncer or doorman. US, slang
- 12 A cold deck. colloquial
- 13 A loss suffered while holding a hand which is ordinarily strong, especially one which involves the loss of many chips.
- 14 A final glass of porter after a session drinking spirits and water. obsolete, slang
Adjective
- 1 comparative form of cool: more cool comparative, form-of
"He looks cooler when he's dressed in shorts."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from German.
Example
"As the day got cooler, I had to put on a sweater."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cooler"?
Common synonyms include: air cooler, brig, brisker, bucket, calaboose, calmer.
How do you use "cooler" in a sentence?
As the day got cooler, I had to put on a sweater.
How do you pronounce "cooler"?
Pronounced /ˈkuː.lə(ɹ)/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From cool + -er.
Etymology 2
Americanized spelling of German Kühler.