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.
A decade later, it’s hard to believe someone wrote that with a straight face, especially as polls show that men are more eager than women to settle down and build families.
From Salon • Jun. 29, 2026
Eventually, IPO-related volatility will settle down, leaving Tesla, like all other stocks, trading on its fundamentals and narrative.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
Once the current tariff negotiations settle down, she said, “the rules-of-origin discussions could prove to be the next battleground on the trade front.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026
She might just find one and settle down.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026
Miss Birdy, the teacher, tells us both to settle down, shut up, or be ready to spend the day in detention again tomorrow.
From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake
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.
