refrigerator
- 01 A2 Elementary
a large machine in the kitchen used for keeping food and drinks cold.
a household or commercial appliance used for keeping food fresh by refrigeration; commonly shortened to 'fridge'.
Simple“Please put the milk back in the refrigerator so it doesn't go bad.”
In context“Modern refrigerators are designed with specific climate zones to maintain the optimal humidity for different types of produce.”
UsageThe shortened form 'fridge' is much more common in daily conversation.
Teacher's tipLearners often misspell this by adding a 'd' because of the word 'fridge'. Remind them that the full formal word uses 'g' only.
PitfallI put the eggs into the refridgerator. I put the eggs into the refrigerator.While the short form 'fridge' has a 'd', the full word 'refrigerator' does not.
Synonymsfridgeicebox - 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a machine used in hospitals or labs to keep medicine or chemicals cold.
a cooling device used to store non-food items such as blood, pharmaceuticals, or chemicals at a constant low temperature.
Simple“The nurse took the insulin out of the medical refrigerator.”
In context“The laboratory requires a specialised refrigerator to ensure that the biological samples remain stable for the duration of the study.”
UsageOften used with a modifying noun like 'medical' or 'laboratory'.
Synonymschillercooler
Borrowed from Medieval Latin refrīgerātor (“cooler”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.