cooling

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   the process of becoming cooler or of making something cooler.

   Grammar: Used with 'the': the cooling of the metal happens quickly. It is not used with 'a' or in the plural.

   Patterns

   • the cooling of something
   • cooling and heating
   • rapid/slow cooling

   The cooling of the lava formed a hard, dark rock.

   Rapid cooling can make the glass crack.

   The cooling of the room took about an hour.

2. 2adjectivebefore a noun

   making something cooler, or becoming cooler.

   Grammar: Comes before a noun: a cooling breeze, a cooling system. It is not usually used after a linking verb.

   Patterns

   • cooling system
   • cooling tower
   • cooling breeze
   • cooling effect

   The car's cooling system keeps the engine from overheating.

   A cooling breeze came through the open window.

   They installed a cooling fan in the computer.

Common combinations

cooling system

The cooling system in the building broke down last summer.

global cooling

Some scientists once worried about global cooling, but now the concern is warming.

cooling-off period

The contract has a ten-day cooling-off period.

cooling tower

The power plant's cooling tower released steam into the air.

Synonyms and how they differ

chilling

Chilling means making something cold, often quickly and strongly; cooling can be gentle and gradual.

refrigeration

Refrigeration is a technical term for keeping things cold, usually in a machine; cooling is the general process.

Opposites

Word family

cool verb

to become cooler or make something cooler

coolant noun

a liquid used to keep a machine or engine cool

cooler noun

a container or machine that keeps things cool

Commonly confused: cooling or cooling vs. chilling?

Practice

Make it your own

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

Explore more words