German word

kühlen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈkyːlən/

Meaning

  • verbcool

Example

Ich kühle das Getränk im Kühlschrank.

I am cooling the drink in the refrigerator.

Illustration for kühlen (cool)

More examples

Er legte einen Eisbeutel auf die Wunde, um sie zu kühlen.

He put an ice pack on the wound to cool it.

Core concept

A warm drink placed against a cold source gradually loses heat.

Common phrases

  • mit Eis kühlen

    cool with ice

  • das Bier kühlen

    cool the beer

  • die Wunde kühlen

    cool the wound

Similar words

abkühlen: A drink or object becomes cooler as it naturally loses heat.
sich abkühlen: A person or body cools gradually when exposed to cooler air.

Definition in German

die Temperatur von etwas durch Kälte senken

Word origin

The verb kühlen is formed from the adjective kühl with the verb-forming suffix -en; kühl is related to English cool.

Usage tips

  • Kühlen usually takes a direct object, while abkühlen describes something cooling down and sich abkühlen means to cool down oneself.

Other meanings

  • refrigerateverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Kühlschrankrefrigeratornoun
  • kühlendcoolingadjective
  • Kühlercoolernoun

Word lists with this word