quieten

American

[kwahy-i-tn] / ˈkwaɪ ɪ tn /

verb (used without object)

to become quiet (often followed bydown ).

verb (used with object)

to make quiet.

quieten British

/ ˈkwaɪətən /

verb

(often foll by down) to make or become calm, silent, etc; pacify or become peaceful
(tr) to allay (fear, doubts, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

quietener noun

Etymology

Origin of quieten

First recorded in 1820–30; quiet + -en ¹

Vocabulary lists containing quieten

Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be speaking every day. You should just let things quieten down,” Macron said on Thursday.

From Salon • Apr. 2, 2026

Martin Zubimendi's long-range drive just before half-time settled the nerves of the home crowd at the Emirates Stadium before Viktor Gyokeres struck twice to quieten his critics.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

The umpire had to repeatedly call for spectators to quieten down as they tried, unsuccessfully, to will Eala to victory.

From Barron's • Jan. 19, 2026

After two weeks of taking 270mg a day, she says the noise in her head started to quieten.

From BBC • Oct. 24, 2025

He was trying to quieten me—worried, I assume, about what the receptionist thought, what the other patients thought.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023