cooling off

Verb

cool off (third-person singular simple present cools off, present participle cooling off, simple past and past participle cooled off)

1. (intransitive) To decrease in temperature, activity, or temper.
   • You are getting a little too angry; you need to cool off.
2. (transitive) To cause to decrease in temperature, activity or temper.
   • At first he was very angry, but his friends managed to cool him off.
3. (intransitive) To lose interest or enthusiasm [with on].
   • While talking about freight, I must express my regret that the Government seem to be cooling off on the Channel Tunnel.1974 December 11, Lord Mowbray and Stourton, “Future Of The Railways”, in House of Lords Hansard, volume 355, column 655
4. (intransitive) To be imprisoned.
   • He's cooling off in the state pen.
5. (slang, transitive) To kill (someone).
6. (intransitive, slang) To wait for a furor to die down; to hide during a police manhunt.
   • After doing the job, he went to the safehouse to cool off.