cooler

1 of 2

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

cooler

2 of 2

comparative of cool entry 1

Synonyms of cooler

Noun

• penitentiary
• jail
• prison

Examples of cooler in a Sentence

Noun

The sodas are in the cooler.

plea-bargained to avoid spending time in the cooler

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Red coolers proffer bottles of Indonesia’s ubiquitous Bintang beer. — Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Temperatures in the metro are expected to climb to around 77 degrees on Wednesday, while Thursday will be a little cooler, around 72 degrees, as the cold front moves through. — Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026

As for cooling him down, the players said the only things available were towels from a cooler, water from the bottles and a garden hose. — Scott Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

No one has ever looked cooler in front of a beach background on Zoom than Ringo Starr. — Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

cool entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cooler

• cooler heads prevail
• evaporative cooler
• the cooler
• wine cooler

Rhymes for cooler

• ruler
• schooler
• schuller
• preschooler
• vestibular

Kids Definition

cooler

noun

cool·​er ˈkü-lər 

: a container for keeping food or drink cool