Meaning & use
calm
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Not feeling or showing strong worry, anger, fear, or excitement.
Grammar: Describes a person, voice, or manner; comparative is “calmer,” superlative “calmest.”
Patterns
- stay calm
- remain calm about something
- a calm voice
Stay calm and tell me exactly what happened.
Her calm voice helped everyone relax during the delay.
adjectivecomparable
Having little wind, movement, noise, or disturbance.
Grammar: Describes weather, water, or a place; compare “calmer seas.”
Patterns
- calm seas
- a calm night
- calm conditions
The sea was calm enough for a morning swim.
We waited for calm conditions before setting out.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To make someone or something less upset, active, or disturbed.
Grammar: Takes an object: “calm the child.” No object: “the wind calmed.”
Patterns
- calm someone down
- calm something
- calm down
He took a breath to calm himself before the interview.
The medicine helped calm her racing thoughts.
noununcountable
A state of quietness, peace, or absence of disturbance.
Grammar: Used especially after “the” with verbs like keep, restore, or break.
Patterns
- the calm before something
- keep the calm
- restore calm
A strange calm settled over the city after the storm.
She needed a moment of calm before answering.
Word forms
| comparative | calmer |
|---|---|
| superlative | calmest |
| third person singular | calms |
| past tense | calmed |
| past participle | calmed |
| -ing form | calming |
Common combinations
- stay calm
- Stay calm if the train is delayed; we will still arrive on time.
- calm down
- The coach asked the players to calm down after the goal.
- calm sea/waters
- Fishermen prefer a calm sea for the first trip of spring.
- a calm manner
- The nurse explained the procedure in a calm manner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- composed
- Stresses self-control in appearance, often under pressure; “calm” is broader.
- peaceful
- Can describe places or times; for people it suggests quiet contentment rather than controlled emotion.
- serene
- More literary and suggests deep, untroubled stillness.
Opposites
Word family
Practice
Choose the best sentence.
Choose one answer.
“Calm down” is the natural phrasal verb for becoming less upset. Option 0 lacks “down,” option 3 misplaces “to,” and option 4 wrongly combines “became calm” with “down.”
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “calm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.