pipe down

verb

piped down; piping down; pipes down

intransitive verb

: to stop talking or making noise

Examples of pipe down in a Sentence

if you don't pipe down, we're turning this car around and going straight home! Pipe down or I'll cancel recess!” the teacher commanded
Recent Examples on the Web Traditionalists who follow the Test arena want England to pipe down a bit and play sensibly when the game favours them. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024 Or can parents pipe down and put the focus back on the kids if a threat of repercussions looms? Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Oct. 2023 The engine note tends to mumble under load but pipes down while cruising. Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 31 May 2023 Cancer’s had to pipe down. New York Times, 2 Aug. 2021 Fortunately, during this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, Kenan Thompson and Keegan-Michael Key stepped up and told Waldorf (Mikey Day) and Stadler (Beck Bennett) to pipe down, or call themselves a little, soft, fabric cab, because their insults will no longer be tolerated. Halle Kiefer, Vulture, 16 May 2021 The receivers are normally here by now – just try to get Michael Pittman Jr. to pipe down – but not today. The Indianapolis Star, 12 Jan. 2023 Offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and quarterback Spencer Petras have forced their critics to pipe down the last two games – a 33-13 victory over Northwestern and a 24-3 victory over Purdue. Jeff Potrykus, Journal Sentinel, 9 Nov. 2022 During routine searches at the San Fernando Courthouse, a couple of inmates kept talking and laughing after they were told to pipe down. Gale Holland, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pipe down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

pipe entry 2

First Known Use

1876, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pipe down was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near pipe down

Cite this Entry

“Pipe down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pipe%20down. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pipe down

verb
: to stop talking or making noise
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!