cooler

noun

cool·​er ˈkü-lər 

1

: one that cools: such as

a

: a container for cooling liquids

b

: refrigerator

2

: lockup, jail

especially : a cell for violent or unmanageable prisoners

3

: an iced drink usually with an alcoholic beverage as a base

Synonyms

• bastille
• big house [slang]
• bridewell
• brig
• calaboose
• can
• clink [slang]
• coop
• guardroom
• hock
• hold
• hoosegow
• jail
• jailhouse
• joint [slang]
• jug
• lockup
• nick [British slang]
• pen
• penitentiary
• pokey [slang]
• prison
• quod [British slang]
• slam
• slammer
• stir [slang]
• stockade
• tolbooth [Scottish]

Examples of cooler in a Sentence

The sodas are in the cooler.

plea-bargained to avoid spending time in the cooler

Recent Examples on the Web

Keep reading for three ways to turn your cooler into a food warmer. —Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024

The Ryujin cooler is equipped with a large 3.5-inch LCD atop the waterblock (with a 640-by-480-pixel, 24-bit screen) that’s fully customizable through Asus' Armoury Crate software. —PCMAG, 27 Nov. 2024

Photographed by Mayan Toledano During a brief break, active cheerleaders jog off the field to the water coolers, chests heaving and drenched with sweat. —Elise Taylor, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024

While the coolers and drinkware are best known, Yeti’s camping gear is as meticulously designed and engineered. —Red Fabbri, Travel + Leisure, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

cool entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cooler

• cooler heads prevail
• the cooler
• wine cooler

Kids Definition

cooler

noun

cool·​er ˈkü-lər 

: a container for keeping food or drink cool