calm down
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle down
Meanings
Become or make less excited or angry
Why “down”? Strong feelings or energy become lower and calmer.
“Calm down. We'll sort it out.”
“The child calmed down after the story.”
“Calm down and tell me what happened.”
Common mistake
Calm down you.
Calm down. / Calm yourself down.
Calm down stands alone; with a pronoun it goes in the middle.
Natural collocations
The word partners “calm down” most often appears with — learn the phrase, not just the verb.
Test yourself
“Calm down. We'll sort it out.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
come down
Same down pattern: calming
Drop from a high level it has been at; Have been passed down from earlier generations; Decide in favour of one side after consideration; Become ill with a particular illness; (of rain, snow or hail) fall
cool down
Same down pattern: calming
Become or make less hot; Become calmer after anger or excitement; Do gentle exercise after a hard workout
die down
Same down pattern: calming
Feelings or excitement gradually become calmer; Become less strong, loud or active
get down
Same down pattern: calming
Descend or lower yourself; Depress someone emotionally; Capture in writing or recording; Swallow food, drink, or medicine, especially with difficulty; Begin to focus seriously on a task
quiet down
Same down pattern: calming
Become silent or peaceful
settle down
Same down pattern: calming
Become quiet and stable; Begin a stable home or family life
simmer down
Same down pattern: calming
Calm down from anger
talk down
Same down pattern: calming
Persuade someone in a difficult situation to calm down
Sink In — iOS & Android
Practice “calm down” in Sink In
Drill “calm down” and 1,300+ other phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by the particle patterns that connect them.
- Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
- Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
- Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
