white goods in which food can be stored at low temperatures
"The new refrigerator arrived yesterday, ready to keep our groceries fresh at low temperatures."
A household appliance used for keeping food fresh by refrigeration (short form fridge).
"We need to buy some milk before it runs out in the refrigerator."
In plain English: A refrigerator is an appliance that keeps food and drinks cold to prevent them from spoiling.
"We kept all our milk and eggs in the refrigerator."
Usage: Use the short form fridge in casual conversation, but reserve the full word refrigerator for formal writing or when distinguishing it from other cooling appliances. Avoid confusing this noun with its verb counterpart, which is rarely used outside of technical contexts like "to refrigerate a sample."
The word refrigerator was borrowed into English from Medieval Latin refrīgerātor, which literally means "a cooler." It entered the language to describe an appliance that keeps food cold.