Meaning & use
quiet periods
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“quiet periods” is a form of “quiet period”.
Meanings
nounpluralbusinessfinance
A set period when a company or person is not allowed to share certain public information.
Grammar: Usually plural in general statements; the singular 'quiet period' names one such stretch of time.
Patterns
- a quiet period before something
- during the quiet period
- impose a quiet period
The bank announced a quiet period before the share sale, so staff stopped talking to reporters.
Regulators impose quiet periods around major announcements to keep trading fair.
During the quiet period, the company refused to comment on the rumors.
nounplural
A stretch of time when there is little activity, noise, or business.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a quiet period' for one stretch and 'quiet periods' for several or for the general idea.
Patterns
- a quiet period in something
- have a quiet period
- after a quiet period
January is usually a quiet period for our travel agency.
The library has quiet periods in the early afternoon when few students come.
After a quiet period, orders picked up again in the spring.
nounpluralsport
A time in a sports season with few matches or little news.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'in' to name the stage of the season.
Patterns
- a quiet period in the season
- during a quiet period
Coaches use the quiet periods to work on fitness and tactics.
The transfer news dried up during a quiet period in the season.
Word forms
| singular | quiet period |
|---|
Common combinations
- a quiet period before something
- Investors were nervous during the quiet period before the results came out.
- impose a quiet period
- The exchange can impose a quiet period on companies that break disclosure rules.
- during the quiet period
- No one from the team would speak during the quiet period.
- a quiet period for something
- Summer is a quiet period for many language schools.
- after a quiet period
- Sales rose sharply after a quiet period in the fall.
Synonyms and how they differ
- blackout
- A blackout is a ban on publishing or broadcasting information, often stricter and shorter than a quiet period.
- lull
- A lull is a short pause in activity or noise; it is less official and not a rule imposed by anyone.
- downtime
- Downtime means time when machines or systems are not working, so it fits equipment better than markets.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: quiet periods or quite periods? quiet periods or quiet period?
quiet periods vs quite periods
'Quite' means fairly or completely and cannot replace 'quiet', which means little noise or activity.
quiet periods vs quiet period
The singular names one stretch of time; the plural is used for a rule, a habit, or several such stretches.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'quiet periods' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Quiet periods' is a plural noun phrase, so it works as the subject of a general statement, as in option 1. Option 0 wrongly uses 'a' with a plural, and options 2 and 3 treat the phrase as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quiet periods”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.