be chill

Meanings

1. 1phrasefixed phraseinformal

   To stay calm and not get upset or excited about something.

   Grammar: Used as an imperative or a description: 'Be chill about it' or 'He's chill about it.'

   Patterns

   • be chill about something
   • be chill with someone
   • tell someone to be chill

   Be chill — we still have plenty of time before the train leaves.

   She stayed chill even when the whole plan fell apart.

   My parents are pretty chill about me coming home late on weekends.

2. 2phraseintransitiveinformal

   To spend time relaxing and doing very little.

   Grammar: No object; often used in the progressive: 'We're just chilling.'

   Patterns

   • be chilling
   • be chilling at a place
   • be chilling with someone

   We're just chilling at home tonight, nothing special.

   They were chilling by the pool all afternoon.

   Come over and chill for a bit if you're free.

Common combinations

be chill about something

Try to be chill about the delay; it happens all the time.

stay chill

He managed to stay chill during the interview.

pretty chill

The new teacher is pretty chill about deadlines.

chill with friends

I'm chilling with friends this evening.

just chill

Let's just chill and watch a movie.

Synonyms and how they differ

relax

A more neutral verb for resting or calming down; 'be chill' is more casual and often describes a person's attitude.

calm down

Focuses on becoming calm after being upset, while 'be chill' can simply mean having an easygoing nature.

take it easy

An informal phrase meaning not to work or worry too much; it fits advice, whereas 'be chill' also describes someone's personality.

Opposites

Word family

chill verb

To relax or make something cold.

chill noun

A cold feeling or a period of relaxation.

chilled adjective

Relaxed, or made cold.

chillax verb

Very informal blend of 'chill' and 'relax'.

Commonly confused: be chill or chilly?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “be chill”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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