Meanings
present singular third person settles down · participle present settling down · participle past settled down · past settled down
- ambitransitiveTo make or become quiet and calm after a period of disturbance or restlessness.
It took John a while to settle down after the phone call.
3 more examples
In terms of passenger route mileage, the UK railway of early 1970 had settled down to close to the present level, although there was still some pruning to do.
2020 April 8, Howard Johnston, “East-ended? When the ECML was at risk”, in Rail, page 69It is never possible to settle down to the ordinary routine of life at sea until the screw begins to revolve. There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.
1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLCPresently their mother got them settled down to sleep.
2010, Nevil Shute, Pied Piper, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, page 38 - intransitiveTo establish a settled lifestyle for oneself, especially by marrying.
- intransitiveTo grow comfortable and familiar with one's new accommodation or circumstances.
I have not yet settled down in my new apartment.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbbecome settled or established and stable in one's residence or life style
verbbecome quiet or calm, especially after a state of agitation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic هَدَأَ, اِسْتَقَرَّ
- هَدَأَ (hadaʔa)to become quiet
- اِسْتَقَرَّ (istaqarra)to establish a settled lifestyle
Chinese Mandarin 冷靜下來 /冷静下来, 定居
- 冷靜下來 /冷静下来 (lěngjìng xiàlai)to become quiet
- 定居 (dìngjū)to establish a settled lifestyle
Czech usadit se
- usadit seto establish a settled lifestyle
Finnish rauhoittua, asettua
- rauhoittuato become quiet
- asettuato become quiet
- asettua aloilleento establish a settled lifestyle
- asettua taloksito get comfortable with new circumstances
- kotiutuato get comfortable with new circumstances
French s'installer
- s'installerto establish a settled lifestyle
German sich niederlassen
- sich niederlassento establish a settled lifestyle
Greek τακτοποιούμαι, νοικοκυρεύομαι
- τακτοποιούμαι (taktopoioúmai)to establish a settled lifestyle
- νοικοκυρεύομαι (noikokyrévomai)to establish a settled lifestyle
Hungarian lenyugszik, megnyugszik
- lenyugszikto become quiet
- megnyugszikto become quiet
- letelepedikto establish a settled lifestyle
Italian calmarsi, placarsi
- calmarsito become quiet
- placarsito become quiet
- accasarsito establish a settled lifestyle
- sistemarsito establish a settled lifestyle
- ambientarsito get comfortable with new circumstances
Japanese 落ち着く, 身を固める
- 落ち着く (ochitsuku)to become quiet
- 身を固める (mi wo katameru)to establish a settled lifestyle
Māori rarau
- rarauto establish a settled lifestyle
Polish uspokajać się, uspakajać się
- uspokajać sięto become quiet
- uspakajać sięto become quiet
- uspokoić sięto become quiet
- ustatkowywaćto establish a settled lifestyle
- ustatkowaćto establish a settled lifestyle
- zadomawiać sięto get comfortable with new circumstances
- zadomowić sięto get comfortable with new circumstances
Portuguese acalmar-se
- acalmar-seto become quiet
Romanian se liniști
- se liniștito become quiet
Russian успоко́иться, остепени́ться
- успоко́иться (uspokóitʹsja)to become quiet
- остепени́ться (ostepenítʹsja)to establish a settled lifestyle
- привы́кнуть (privýknutʹ)to get comfortable with new circumstances
- адапти́роваться (adaptírovatʹsja)to get comfortable with new circumstances
- обустро́иться (obustróitʹsja)to get comfortable with new circumstances
Slovak usadiť sa
- usadiť sato establish a settled lifestyle
Spanish calmarse, establecerse
- calmarseto become quiet
- establecerseto establish a settled lifestyle
- instalarseto establish a settled lifestyle
- sentar cabezato establish a settled lifestyle
- sentar la cabezato establish a settled lifestyle
- echar raícesto establish a settled lifestyle
- arraigarto establish a settled lifestyle
- arraigarseto establish a settled lifestyle
- enraizarto establish a settled lifestyle
- enraizarseto establish a settled lifestyle
- radicarto establish a settled lifestyle
- radicarseto establish a settled lifestyle
Ukrainian заспоко́їтися, осели́тися
- заспоко́їтися (zaspokójitysja)to become quiet
- осели́тися (oselýtysja)to establish a settled lifestyle
- облаштува́тися (oblaštuvátysja)to establish a settled lifestyle
- зви́кнути (zvýknuty)to get comfortable with new circumstances
- адаптува́тися (adaptuvátysja)to get comfortable with new circumstances
Urdu بسنا
- بسنا (basnā)to establish a settled lifestyle
Cite this entry
settle down. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20down
“settle down.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20down. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “settle down,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/settle%20down.
Source: settle down on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.