Meaning & use
keep cool
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
To stay calm and not become angry, excited, or upset, especially in a difficult situation.
Grammar: Used without an object; often in the phrase 'keep cool under pressure'.
Patterns
- keep cool under pressure
- keep cool when something happens
- keep cool about something
She kept cool during the interview even when they asked difficult questions.
Try to keep cool and don't say anything you might regret.
The pilot kept cool and landed the plane safely.
phrasetransitive or intransitive
To stay at a comfortable low temperature, or to keep a place at a low temperature.
Grammar: Can take an object when you mean keep something at a low temperature: keep the room cool.
Patterns
- keep cool in the heat
- keep something cool
We sat in the shade to keep cool.
Keep the drinks cool until the guests arrive.
Common combinations
- keep cool under pressure
- Good leaders keep cool under pressure.
- keep your cool
- He managed to keep his cool despite the insults.
- keep cool in the heat
- Fans help us keep cool in the heat.
- stay cool
- Stay cool and drink plenty of water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stay calm
- A neutral, slightly more formal way to say the same thing.
- keep your cool
- Almost the same, but this form needs a possessive: keep your cool.
- remain composed
- More formal and literary; it stresses outward self-control.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: keep cool or stay cool?
keep cool vs stay cool
Often used for temperature or as slang for 'stay calm and stylish'; 'keep cool' usually focuses on not getting angry or upset.
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Keep cool' is used without an object and means stay calm; the other options attach prepositions or clauses that do not fit the phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “keep cool”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.