stills

verb

present tense third-person singular of still
1
as in stops
to bring (something) to a standstill it seemed as though nothing could still the fighting

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in calms
to free from distress or disturbance reading a book helps me to relax and still my mind before going to bed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shushes
to stop the noise or speech of the conversation was abruptly stilled by a loud crash from the next room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stills And stills the curiosity, communication, and debate on which any self-aware democracy depends. — Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stills
  1. stops
  2. calms
  3. shushes
  4. stalls
  5. composes
  6. silences
  7. catches
  8. soothes
Verb
  • At some point, optimism stops feeling like hope and starts feeling like obligation.
    — Stephan Pechdimaldji, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Morgan refuses Ancker’s offer outright and stops just short of spitting in the man’s face.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of stops
Verb
  • The mask has a hydrogel texture that calms and cools the skin while its clinical-grade ingredients sink in to rejuvenate the complexion.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Mineral-rich thermal spring water calms skin, while glycerin boosts hydration and supports the skin barrier—a big deal, since an impaired barrier leaves skin more vulnerable to moisture loss and irritation.
    — Sheryl George, Allure, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of calms
Verb
  • Before the chatter can continue, Sharon Leone (Diane Farr), the Cal Fire Division Chief and mother of Bode Leone (Max Thieriot), quickly shushes everyone and reminds them to focus.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 21 May 2026
Definition of shushes
Verb
  • Paying Down Data Debt Without Halting AI The mistake most organizations make is treating data debt paydown as a two-year infrastructure project that stalls the AI road map.
    — Gopichand Mannava, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This process stalls improvements for years.
    — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of stalls
Verb
  • The man composes his responses with the help of a manual that instructs him on which incoming string of Chinese characters should be answered with which other string of Chinese characters.
    — Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Agent authority composes dynamically.
    — Harsh Singhal, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Definition of composes
Verb
  • Obialo silences certain layers while modulating others, nestling rhythms like honeycombs.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Burke almost silences Cleveland's bats Burke came on with one out in the third.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of silences
Verb
  • The single most suspicious thing Johnny does, though, is be at Carla’s while everyone else is at the office working late the night before court, not that anyone catches that.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2026
  • No security tool catches every threat, so continue checking unexpected messages carefully.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of catches
Verb
  • Wear it alone or over makeup as the mineral powder blurs imperfections and soothes the skin with a skin-loving formula.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • While the colloidal gold soothes inflammation and nourishes the skin with antioxidants, hexapeptides smooth out the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, while damask rose helps strengthen the skin barrier.
    — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of soothes

Browse Nearby Words

stillness
stills
stilly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stills.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stills. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All