Meaning & use

pipe down

phrase·Everyday

Used to tell someone, often impolitely, to stop talking or making noise.

See it in a sentence

The teacher told the noisy students to pipe down before the exam began.

Pipe down back there, some of us are trying to hear the announcement.

A note on using this word

Pipe down is informal and can sound rude or commanding, so it is best used with people you know well, not in polite or formal settings.

Words with a similar meaning

quiet downhush

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

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