still

1 of 6

adjective

1
a
: devoid of or abstaining from motion
b
archaic : sedentary
c
: not effervescent
still wine
d(1)
: of, relating to, or being a static photograph as contrasted with a motion picture
(2)
: designed for taking still photographs
a still camera
(3)
: engaged in taking still photographs
a still photographer
2
a
: uttering no sound : quiet
b
3
a
b
: free from noise or turbulence
stillness noun

still

2 of 6

verb (1)

stilled; stilling; stills

intransitive verb

: to become motionless or silent : quiet

transitive verb

1
a
: allay, calm
stilled their nerves
b
: to put an end to : settle
2
: to arrest the motion of
3

still

3 of 6

adverb

1
: without motion
sit still
2
archaic
b
: in a progressive manner : increasingly
3
used as a function word to indicate the continuance of an action or condition
still lives theredrink it while it's still hot
4
: in spite of that : nevertheless
those who take the greatest care still make mistakes
5
a
: even sense 1b
a still more difficult problem
heavier still
b
: yet sense 1a
has still to be recognized

still

4 of 6

noun (1)

1
2
: a static photograph
specifically : a photograph of actors or scenes of a motion picture for publicity or documentary purposes

still

5 of 6

verb (2)

stilled; stilling; stills

still

6 of 6

noun (2)

1
2
: apparatus used in distillation comprising either the chamber in which the vaporization is carried out or the entire equipment

Example Sentences

Adjective The cat twitched slightly, and then was still. Everyone had left, and the house was finally still. a class in still photography They had still and fizzy drinks. Adverb Sit still. It'll just take a minute. the cat sat absolutely still, watching as the mouse began to make its way across the floor See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
In the still image, the man is wearing a navy blue hooded sweatshirt and a navy and red beanie cap and is eating a bag of Doritos. Andi Babineau, CNN, 31 Jan. 2023 The case became national news, with outrage building until the local prosecutor’s office released a still image from a body camera that showed the woman, later reported to not be pregnant, had been clutching a gun. Chelsia Rose Marcius, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2023 The case became national news, with outrage building until the local prosecutor’s office released a still image from a body camera that showed the woman, later reported to not be pregnant, had been clutching a gun. Mitch Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 28 Jan. 2023 With only a few weeks to prepare for the Netflix film, Kerwin and hair department head Jaime Leigh McIntosh’s first day of production was a photo shoot creating the still images that would show Marilyn’s rise to fame throughout the film. Carita Rizzo, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Dec. 2022 In every Instagram-like reel section, users can click on a share button to create a still image of that Replay 2022 part. José Adorno, BGR, 29 Nov. 2022 Kemp then wandered the hallways at the school with the bouquet, according to a still image from a security camera at the school that is included in the court filing. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2022 Enables creators to easily create high-quality looping human animations, complete with realistic human movements, all from a still image. PCMAG, 21 Oct. 2022 Meta Video of a sea turtle, animated from a still image with Make-A-Video. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2022
Noun
The rats, who had drowned in a rainstorm, lay in artful counterpoint, as though posing for a still-life. Morgan Meis, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2023 Even with some dark overcast skies, the CarCam held up with slightly dimmer but still usable videos and stills. Hunter Fenollol, Popular Mechanics, 22 Feb. 2023 Police also shared a still of the car believed to be involved in the shooting. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2021 Agents brought in the Russell County Sheriff’s Office to assist, and the lawmen then carried out a search warrant at a residence associated with the still. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 11 Jan. 2021 The pandemic also gave Eagle Park distiller Jordan Stielow time to fire up the still for spirits. Kathy Flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 July 2020 Lynskey responded on Twitter, noting that the image Curry included was from her cover shoot for InStyle magazine and not a still of her character in The Last of Us. Nick Romano, EW.com, 9 Feb. 2023 The second post featured a still of Macaulay Culkin holding a BB gun as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 22 Aug. 2022 The wild ride that was Tuesday’s major league trading deadline suddenly and sharply gave way to a heaviness in the still of that night, when the Dodgers announced that Scully had died at 94. New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'still.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English stille, from Old English; akin to Old High German stilli still and perhaps to Old English steall stall — more at stall

Verb (2)

Middle English stillen, short for distillen to distill

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of still was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near still

Cite this Entry

“Still.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/still. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

still

1 of 5 adjective
1
a
: not moving
lying quiet and still
b
: of, relating to, or being an ordinary photograph rather than a motion picture
2
: uttering no sound : quiet
3
a
b
: free from noise or commotion : peaceful
stillness noun

still

2 of 5 verb
1
a
: to make quiet : calm
still their fears
b
: to put to an end : settle
2
: to make or become motionless or silent : quiet

still

3 of 5 adverb
1
: without motion
sit still
2
: up to this or that time
still lives there
while it's still hot
3
: in spite of that : nevertheless
those who take care can still make mistakes
4
a
: even entry 3 sense 4
a still more difficult problem
b
: beyond this : in addition, yet
won still another tournament

still

4 of 5 noun
1
2
: a still photograph

still

5 of 5 noun
1
2
: a device used in distillation
Etymology

Adjective

Old English stille "not moving"

Noun

from earlier still (verb) "to distill," from Middle English stillen, a shortened form of distillen "to distill"

Biographical Definition

Still

biographical name

Andrew Taylor 1828–1917 American founder of osteopathy

More from Merriam-Webster on still

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!


Challenging Standardized Test Words, Vol. 2

  • a pencil broken in half on top of a test answer sheet
  • The business’s new computer system proved not to be a panacea.
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY