Meaning & use
calm during the storm
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Meaning
phrasefixed phrasefigurative
Remaining peaceful and composed while a difficult or chaotic situation is happening.
Grammar: Used as an adjective phrase or adverbial phrase. Often follows 'stay', 'remain', or 'be'.
Patterns
- stay calm during the storm
- remain calm during the storm
- be calm during the storm
She managed to stay calm during the storm of criticism.
The leader's ability to be calm during the storm reassured everyone.
He remained calm during the storm, even when others panicked.
Common combinations
- stay calm during the storm
- Try to stay calm during the storm of the debate.
- remain calm during the storm
- The captain remained calm during the storm.
- be calm during the storm
- It's important to be calm during the storm of a crisis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- keep a cool head
- This idiom means to stay calm in a difficult situation; it is more informal and fixed.
- composed
- Composed means calm and in control; it is an adjective and does not include the 'during the storm' idea.
Opposites
Commonly confused: calm during the storm or calm before the storm?
calm during the storm vs calm before the storm
This means a quiet period before a crisis; 'calm during the storm' means staying peaceful while the crisis is happening.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'calm during the storm' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is used as an adverbial phrase after 'stayed'. The other options are grammatically incorrect or change the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “calm during the storm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.