cool

cool

I

cool¹ S2 W3 /kuːl/ adjective (comparative cooler, superlative coolest)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

cool² S2 verb1. [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

cool³ noun1. 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

cool⁴ 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.