cooler

Everyday

1. Cooler means more cool: a little colder, or (slang) more stylish or exciting. tree →
2. A cooler is a box or bag that keeps food and drinks cold, especially on picnics (also «cool box» in the UK, «esky» in Australia). tree →
3. A cooler is a machine or part that cools something, like a water cooler or a computer fan. tree →
4. (slang, old) The cooler is prison or a cell. tree →

In the lessons

In science and weather, «cooler» compares temperatures: cooler in the shade, cooler at night. In everyday talk, «cooler» compares how fashionable things are. On a picnic or a trip to the beach, the cooler holds the drinks. In older films, «put in the cooler» means locked up.

Examples

• It is cooler in the shade than in the sun. tree →
• Tomorrow will be cooler, about 15 degrees. tree →
• Pack the sandwiches and juice in the cooler. tree →
• We chatted by the water cooler at the sports centre. tree →
• Your new trainers are way cooler than mine. tree →
• The computer needs a better cooler or it gets too hot. tree →
• In the old film, the gangster spent a night in the cooler. tree →
• At last it began to grow dusk, and the sun sank behind the mountains; gradually it became cooler on the hill, and the grass grew wet with dew. tree →

Note

Comparative: cool, cooler, coolest. As a noun it is countable: two coolers. In a maths problem, «5 degrees cooler» means subtract 5 from the temperature. In the UK the box is usually a «cool box» or «cool bag».