cool

 When temperatures are between 40 degrees and 60 degrees Fahrenheit (five to 15 degrees Celsius), we say it’s cool outside.

• It’s a little cool outside. You’ll need a jacket.
• Many people around the world like cool, dry weather.
• In the United States, the weather usually gets cooler as you head north.
• The weather starts to cool off in the fall. (This sentence uses "cool" as a verb.)

This word is very popular as an adjective to describe things that are interesting, fun, popular, or new:

• Jose is wearing a really cool jacket.
• That movie we saw last night was so cool.
• Everyone says that Mr. Jones is a cool teacher.
• He’s so cool!
• That’s so cool!

He’s a cool cat!

There are many different ways to use this word:

• This soup is too hot. It needs to cool off a bit. (cool off = decrease in temperature)
• Rena was cool to the idea of working late. (She didn’t want to do it.)
• Tom lost his cool during the meeting. (He got mad. The word "cool" is a noun in this sentence.)
• Try not to lose your cool. (Try not to get mad.)
• We’ve decided to cool it for awhile. Things were getting too intense. (cool it = reduce activity)
• Cool it! (Stop fighting.)
• I told my boss I needed some vacation time and she was cool with that. (cool with = okay)
• Are you cool with this? (Is this okay?)

Note: The word "cool" is very popular to describe things, people, and ideas that are new and interesting. It started as a slang word, but now it’s used by just about everybody. It’s a good word to learn about.

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This page was first published on September 11, 2012. It was updated on August 30, 2015.