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\ ˈkäm 
, ˈkälm , ˈkam, ˈkȯ(l)m \
, ˈkälm , ˈkam, ˈkȯ(l)m \Definition of calm
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a : a period or condition of freedom from storms, high winds, or rough activity of water
a sailing ship motionless in the calm
b : complete absence of wind or presence of wind having a speed no greater than one mile (1.6 kilometers) per hour — see Beaufort Scale Table
2 : a state of tranquility
At dusk a quiet calm settled over the town.
calm
verbcalmed; calming; calms
Definition of calm (Entry 2 of 3)
: to become calm
—usually used with downThe mayor asked the protesters to calm down so he could speak.
: to make calm
—often used with downcalm him down; get him to be reasonable— S. H. Adams
calm
adjectiveDefinition of calm (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : marked by calm : still a calm sea
2 : free from agitation, excitement, or disturbance
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Synonyms & Antonyms for calm
Synonyms: Noun
- calmness,
- hush,
- peace,
- peacefulness,
- placidity,
- quiet,
- quietness,
- quietude,
- repose,
- restfulness,
- sereneness,
- serenity,
- still,
- stillness,
- tranquillity
- (or tranquility)
Synonyms: Verb
- becalm,
- compose,
- lull,
- lullaby,
- quiet,
- quieten
- [chiefly British],
- salve,
- settle,
- soothe,
- still,
- tranquilize
- (also tranquillize)
Synonyms: Adjective
- halcyon,
- hushed,
- lown
- [dialect],
- peaceful,
- placid,
- quiet,
- serene,
- still,
- stilly,
- tranquil,
- untroubled
Antonyms: Noun
Antonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of calm in a Sentence
Noun
After two days of violent protests, the mayor appealed for calm.
The calm was broken by another terrorist bombing.
the calm of a church
Police tried to restore calm after the riot.
A quiet calm settled over the city. Verb
His words were effective in calming her fears.
The medicine helped calm her breathing. Adjective
The teacher asked us to remain calm after the fire alarm went off.
Let's try to have a calm discussion about your grades.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun But one thing is keeping me calm: Dakota Johnson’s Architectural Digest house tour.
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Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Dakota Johnson’s House Tour Is the Only Thing Keeping Me Calm Right Now," 13 Mar. 2020 Though trouble may be brewing between Fabienne and Lumir, on the other side of it lies calm.
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Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, "The Generational Anxieties of “The Truth”," 13 Mar. 2020 Journalists have to keep up and keep the public informed and keep calm, all at the same time.
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Brian Stelter, CNN, "The great shutdown of 2020: How newsrooms and media companies are adapting," 12 Mar. 2020 Be smart, practice social distancing and keep calm.
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Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Limits Public Gatherings to 50, Cautions Public on Panic: "Don't Lose Your Heads"," 12 Mar. 2020 On a turbulent, confusing and surreal Wednesday night on which the 2019-20 NBA season chillingly screeched, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban stepped forth with calm, logic, reassurance and perhaps most important, accessibility.
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Allie Morris, Dallas News, "On a chilling night, Mark Cuban steps forward with logic, reassurance, expects shortened NBA regular season and delayed playoffs," 12 Mar. 2020 As its European peers took these unprecedented steps, England tried to keep calm and carry on.
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Hasit Shah, Quartz, "Coronavirus might cancel European soccer," 11 Mar. 2020 The Red Raiders kept calm, sank their free throws, and escaped Austin with a 62-57 win.
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Nick Moyle, ExpressNews.com, "Backs against the wall, surging Texas gets another shot at No. 22 Texas Tech," 28 Feb. 2020 An unanticipated problem was encountered, check back soon and try again
Even in the midst of crisis, the royal family keep calm and carry on!
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Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, "Kate Middleton and Prince William Show No Sign of Stress on First Post-Royal Family Crisis Outing," 15 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Amid the hourly updates on the new coronavirus, a single, calming fact stands out: a particle of happy news, hanging in a cloud of dread.
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Roxanne Khamsi, Wired, "They Say Coronavirus Isn't Airborne—but It's Definitely Borne By Air," 14 Mar. 2020 Some of the optimism and quiet confidence around the coronavirus threat in Nigeria in particular has been the relative transparency and communication efforts by the authorities in trying to both inform and calm speculation about the disease.
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Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "Nigeria has confirmed an Italian man as Sub-Saharan Africa’s first coronavirus case," 27 Feb. 2020 Unpretentious, yet at the same time elegant, subtle and calming, Flight Blue conveys a message of timelessness and enduring quality.
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Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "One car color projects gutsy sense of style, 'unpretentious' confidence," 26 Feb. 2020 The surrounding gas acted as a damping agent, calming any instability like an air conditioner in a room of irritable siblings.
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Paul Voosen, Science | AAAS, "Cataclysmic bashing from giant planets occurred early in our Solar System's history," 21 Jan. 2020 Researchers found that classical music had an initial calming effect, but the mutts soon hungered for other tunes.
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Lars Brandle, Billboard, "Where My Dogs At? Spotify Launches Playlists for Pets," 15 Jan. 2020 Luckily, her spare, haunting sound, which has made her a regular at art fairs and fashion shows—and is on full display on her debut EP—had a calming effect.
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Landon Nordeman, Town & Country, "Big in 2020: 7 Women to Watch," 14 Jan. 2020 The Furbo Dog Nanny Cam also alerts to barking and helps pet owners talk to and calm the dog.
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The Editors, Field & Stream, "Three Great Gifts for Guys Who Love Dogs," 22 Nov. 2019 After catching our breath and believing the fractured space of PC game launchers had calmed down for a second, yet another contender arrived on Tuesday: Rockstar Games.
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Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Rockstar Games Launcher: We install it on Windows so you don’t have to [Updated]," 17 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Shoppers said the mood in the store was generally calm.
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Joe Guillen, Detroit Free Press, "Inside 6 metro Detroit grocery stores during coronavirus scare," 15 Mar. 2020 Deciding whether to remain calm or freak out about the new normal of thousand-point selloffs isn't easy.
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Anneken Tappe, CNN, "Here's why you should worry about the turbulent stock market... and why you shouldn't," 11 Mar. 2020 Now, years later and hundreds of flights under her belt, that anxiety has shifted, evolved, and—most recently—waned, as she's found strategies to stay calm on the road.
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Condé Nast Traveler, "Ban.do Founder Jen Gotch on Anxiety and the Power of Mini Vacations," 11 Mar. 2020 Take it easy and the noise level drops to a relatively calm 68 decibels at a 70-mph cruise.
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Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, "Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Gives the Velar the V-8 it Deserves," 11 Mar. 2020 Instead, the article, by a White House reporter, made Trump sound downright presidential, focusing on his effort to project calm.
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Gilad Edelman, Wired, "Should Political Reporters Be Quarantined From Covering Covid-19?," 10 Mar. 2020 Two billionaires took to Twitter to urge calm amid the panic.
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Fortune, "Stock market mayhem sees Jack Ma crowned Asia’s new richest man," 10 Mar. 2020 Bexar County leaders urged the public to remain calm but vigilant and to use common sense regarding the coronavirus, even as a second wave of oversees evacuees is expected to arrive at JBSA-Lackland this week for quarantine.
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Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Bexar County leaders urge public to remain calm," 10 Mar. 2020 His girl @love_dee_anna is a little more calm cool and collected... also needed when flipping houses! .
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Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "'Flipping 101 w/ Tarek El Moussa' Premiered With Rookie Flip Couple and a Driveway Nightmare," 5 Mar. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for calm
calm
noun English Language Learners Definition of calm
(Entry 1 of 3)
: a quiet and peaceful state or condition
: a peaceful mental or emotional state
calm
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of calm (Entry 2 of 3)
: to become or to cause (someone) to become less upset, emotional, excited, etc.
: to become or to cause (something) to become less active, violent, forceful, etc.
calm
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of calm (Entry 3 of 3)
: not angry, upset, excited, etc.
—used to describe weather that is not windy, stormy, etc.
See the full definition for calm in the English Language Learners Dictionary
calm
noun\ ˈkäm , ˈkälm \
, ˈkälm \Kids Definition of calm
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : a period or condition of freedom from storm, wind, or rough water
2 : a quiet and peaceful state
We enjoyed the calm of the countryside.
calm
verbcalmed; calming
Kids Definition of calm (Entry 2 of 3)
: to make or become less active or disturbed
—often used with downThe music calmed her.The winds calmed down overnight.
calm
adjectivecalmer; calmest
Kids Definition of calm (Entry 3 of 3)
1 : not stormy or windy
a calm night
2 : not excited or upset
a calm reply Please remain calm.
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Comments on calm
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Time Traveler for calm
The first known use of calm was in the 14th century
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