settle down
Britishverb
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(also tr) to make or become quiet and orderly
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(often foll by to) to apply oneself diligently
please settle down to work
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to adopt an orderly and routine way of life, take up a permanent post, etc, esp after marriage
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Begin living a stable, orderly life; also, marry. For example, After traveling all over the world for years, he decided to settle down in his home town , or Her parents wished she would settle down and raise a family . [Early 1600s]
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Become calm, less nervous, or less restless, as in Come on, children, it's time to settle down . [Mid-1800s]
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Apply oneself seriously, as in If you don't settle down to your homework, you'll never get it done . [First half of 1800s]
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.
She might just find one and settle down.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Wosley added the number of cards entering the market had now increased, which she said should settle down the market and stabilise prices as it reduced the scarcity element of some items.
From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026
Eventually, the stock prices should settle down as investors focus on results.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
After spending his peripatetic 20s and 30s as a self-described “almost-successful serial entrepreneur,” he decided to settle down when he turned 40.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 10, 2026
“That person will remain in charge ‘until things settle down and life gets back to normal.’
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
