cool down
phr. v..phr. v.. to become less hot, or to become calm after being angry or excited.
phr. v.. to decrease in temperature; figuratively, to return to a state of emotional composure following a period of agitation or intense activity.
Let your soup cool down before you eat it.
After their big argument, he went for a long walk to cool down.
The engine requires several hours to cool down completely before any mechanical repairs can be safely attempted by the technicians.
- Particles
- down
- Separability
- optional
- Pattern
- cool + (object) + down
can be used for physical temperature or for human emotions and social situations.
contrast with 'cool off', which is often used for physical relief from heat (like jumping in a pool), whereas 'cool down' is more common for the process of losing heat or calming anger.
I waited for the coffee cool down.I waited for the coffee to cool down.when 'cool down' follows 'wait for [object]', the infinitive 'to' is required.