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Meaning & use

water cooler

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈwɔːtə ˌkuːlə/
US/ˈwɔːtɚ ˌkuːlɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A machine in an office or public place that dispenses chilled drinking water.

    Grammar: Countable: a water cooler, several water coolers.

    Patterns

    • fill a cup at the water cooler
    • stand by the water cooler

    She filled her cup at the water cooler and went back to her desk.

    The water cooler on the second floor needs a new bottle.

    A queue formed at the water cooler during the heat wave.

  2. nounsingularinformalfigurative

    The place in a workplace where colleagues meet for casual conversation and gossip, or that kind of talk itself.

    Grammar: Used with the in this sense, often before a noun: water cooler gossip.

    Patterns

    • at the water cooler
    • water cooler talk

    The merger was the main topic at the water cooler all week.

    Gossip about the new manager spread around the water cooler.

    The show gave everyone something to chat about at the water cooler.

Word forms

pluralwater coolers

Common combinations

around the water cooler
People gathered around the water cooler to talk about the match.
water cooler conversation
Their water cooler conversation was mostly about the weather.
water cooler gossip
Water cooler gossip travels fast in a small office.
water cooler moment
The finale was a true water cooler moment.
refill the water cooler
Someone has to refill the water cooler bottle.

Synonyms and how they differ

water fountain
A water fountain gives water from a spout you drink from directly, while a water cooler usually fills cups or bottles and may be refrigerated.
drinking fountain
Drinking fountain is a slightly more formal name for a public water fountain, unlike a water cooler, which belongs to offices.
water dispenser
Water dispenser is a neutral, technical term for the machine only, without the social meaning of water cooler.

Word family

cooler noun
a device or box that keeps things cold
cool verb
to make or become less warm
cooling noun
the process of becoming less warm
water fountain noun
a public source of drinking water

Commonly confused: water cooler or water fountain?

water cooler vs water fountain

A water fountain is a spout for drinking directly, or a decorative display of jets. A water cooler is a machine that dispenses chilled water.

Practice

The news about the merger spread quickly because everybody was talking about it around the ___.

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