cool down

Meaning

This phrasal verb means to become cooler in temperature, or to make something cooler. In cooking, it refers to letting hot food or liquids sit until they reach a safe or comfortable temperature to eat, handle, or store.

Examples

• Let the soup cool down for a few minutes before you taste it.

  Let the soup cool down for a few minutes before you taste it.

• You should let the pie cool down on the counter before slicing it.

  You should let the pie cool down on the counter before slicing it.

• I put my coffee in the fridge to cool it down quickly.

  I put my coffee in the fridge to cool it down quickly.

• Wait for the cookies to cool down, or they will break when you pick them up.

  Wait for the cookies to cool down, or they will break when you pick them up.

• The soup cooled down faster because we left the lid off.

  The soup cooled down faster because we left the lid off.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Let's wait for the pizza to cold down.

  ✓ Let's wait for the pizza to cool down.

  'Cold' is an adjective. You must use the verb 'cool' to form this phrasal verb.

• ✗ I put the hot soup in the fridge to cool down it.

  ✓ I put the hot soup in the fridge to cool it down.

  When using a pronoun like 'it' with the transitive form of 'cool down', the pronoun must go between the verb and the particle.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Don't eat the pie yet; let it ___ first.

  💡 Become less hot.

  Show answer

  cool down

• I blew on my hot tea to help it ___.

  💡 Reduce in temperature.

  Show answer

  cool down