settle down
verb
settled down; settling down; settles down
1
: to become quiet, calm, or orderly
Settle down, children.
When things settle down here, I'll come for a visit.
2
: to begin to live a quiet and steady life by getting a regular job, getting married, etc.
They swore they would never settle down and get married.
3
: to put oneself into a comfortable position
He settled down for the night.
4
: to become quiet and begin giving one's attention to something
They quickly settled down to their work.
Examples of settle down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
When everything had settled down, Henderson made another pass over the same area.
—
Tom Opre,
Outdoor Life,
2 July 2026
Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston outfielder Nate Eaton and Mikolas being ejected.
—
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas being ejected.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown A little bunny settles down for bed in a cozy green room and slowly says goodnight to all the familiar objects around him.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for settle down
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.
Tom Opre,
Outdoor Life,
2 July 2026
Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Boston outfielder Nate Eaton and Mikolas being ejected.
—
CBS News,
1 July 2026
Things settled down quickly after that, though the brief dustup ended with Contreras, Boston interim manager Chad Tracy, Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton and Washington pitcher Miles Mikolas being ejected.
—
ABC News,
1 July 2026
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown A little bunny settles down for bed in a cozy green room and slowly says goodnight to all the familiar objects around him.
—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for settle down
Cite this Entry
“Settle down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/settle%20down. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
