VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

cooling off period

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˌkuː.lɪŋ ˈɒf ˌpɪə.ri.əd/
US/ˌkuː.lɪŋ ˈɔːf ˌpɪr.i.əd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablelegal

    A set time after signing a contract during which a buyer may cancel without penalty.

    Grammar: Countable: a ten-day cooling off period.

    Patterns

    • a cooling off period for something

    The contract has a fourteen-day cooling off period.

    He used the cooling off period to cancel the gym plan.

    Buyers have a cooling off period after signing.

  2. nouncountable

    A pause in an argument or dispute so that anger can calm down before talks resume.

    Grammar: Countable: they agreed a cooling off period.

    Patterns

    • a cooling off period between someone

    The two sides agreed to a cooling off period after the heated meeting.

    A cooling off period helped the neighbors settle their dispute.

    The union asked for a week-long cooling off period before strikes.

Word forms

pluralcooling off periods

Common combinations

a cooling off period
A cooling off period protects buyers.
mandatory cooling off period
A mandatory cooling off period applies.
agree a cooling off period
Both sides agreed a cooling off period.
during the cooling off period
Cancel during the cooling off period.
seven-day cooling off period
A seven-day cooling off period is standard.

Synonyms and how they differ

grace period
A grace period is extra time to pay or comply, not a right to cancel.
truce
A truce is an agreement to stop fighting, so it is stronger than a cooling off period.
breathing space
Breathing space is an informal pause for relief from pressure.
waiting period
A waiting period is a required delay before something can happen, not a chance to cancel.

Word family

cool verb
to become less hot or angry
cooling noun
the act of becoming cool
period noun
a length of time

Commonly confused: cooling off period or grace period?

cooling off period vs grace period

A grace period gives extra time to pay, while a cooling off period gives time to cancel or calm down.

Practice

After signing the contract, Lena used the ______ to cancel the deal without penalty.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “cooling off period”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words