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Glite Dictionary
💬 Workplace gossip 🚰 A drink dispenser
water cooler

water cooler

4 2.8
A place in an office where people talk informally
  • noun
  • /ˈwɔːtər ˈkuːlər/
  • Informal
translation icon : charlas de oficina
  • The whole thing where you have to stand around the water cooler talking to people about what was on Grey's Anatomy last night when you'd rather be writing...
  • water cooler conversation
  • water cooler talk
  • joke at the water cooler

We waste it getting ready, dithering and planning about standing at the water cooler.

Examples

  • That is impressive and worth chatting about at the water cooler.

    Blog text (14)

  • And so I needed to get them away from the water cooler talk or the existential questions and get them working on stuff.

  • You guys are actually hanging out by the water cooler.

    Dead Men Walking (2005)

  • As pleased as he was to have them, he did not want to discover that at the water cooler.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • At the water cooler one day, Lisa made some remark about his pot belly, and Tom replied, "I'll put mine up against yours anytime, Lisa."

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Before many of us went off on our internships, we received words of wisdom from the off-cycles, which were to be aware of and make use of "espresso breaks" and the water cooler as a way of meeting people and getting to know what's really going on.

    Blog text (19)

  • During lunchtime, employees often gather around the water cooler to share stories and catch up.

  • When there’s a major announcement, the news spreads quickly at the water cooler.

  • He learned about the promotion from his colleague at the water cooler earlier today.

Synonyms

canteen
vswater cooler
  • UK
14 2.4

A place in a school or workplace where people buy and eat food and talk to others

is mainly a meeting point for casual conversation rather than for eating
watercooler
vswater cooler
  • Informal
3 3.1

Informal talk among workers, often sharing news or gossip during breaks

is the physical office spot where workers meet to chat rather than the talk itself

How Social

water cooler
  • Informal
4 2.8
dayroom
3 2.7
lounge
214 2.3
corner
184 4.2

Surface Forms

water cooler singular
water coolers plural

Morphology

water + cooler

The literal device meaning (a cooler that dispenses/keeps water) is directly derivable from 'water' + 'cooler', so learners will recognize the concrete object. However, the usage as a metonymic social spot for informal workplace talk/gossip is a pragmatic extension that is culture-specific and not fully predictable from the parts alone, so a B1 learner who only knows the words may not infer the figurative sense without prior exposure.

Etymology

Water cooler meaning casual conversation comes from real offices where people stop at the water cooler to take a break and chat, so the phrase now means 'informal talk' or 'gossip'.