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.
Now they’ve decided it’s time to settle down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
“They may keep their buying in check until things settle down again.”
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Front-month gold futures settle down 0.6% to $5,176.50/oz.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026
The Bohemian second son has so far refused to settle down, but this all changes when he meets a masked lady in silver at a masquerade ball.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
Both ends of the scarf stick out at odd angles, like hair that won’t settle down.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
