subside
Americanverb (used without object)
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subsides,
present (3rd person singular)
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subsided,
past participle, past
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subsiding
present participle
verb
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to become less loud, excited, violent, etc; abate
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to sink or fall to a lower level
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(of the surface of the earth, etc) to cave in; collapse
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(of sediment, etc) to sink or descend to the bottom; settle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subsidesimple
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subsidessimple
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have subsidedperfect
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has subsidedperfect
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am subsidingprogressive
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are subsidingprogressive
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is subsidingprogressive
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have been subsidingperfect progressive
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has been subsidingperfect progressive
Past
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subsidedsimple
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had subsidedperfect
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was subsidingprogressive
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were subsidingprogressive
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had been subsidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subside
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin subsīdere, from sub- sub- + sīdere “to sit down, settle” ( see also sit 1)
Explanation
To subside is to die down or become less violent, like rough ocean waves after a storm has passed (or your seasickness, if you happened to be sailing on that ocean). Subside comes from the Latin prefix sub- (meaning "down") and the Latin verb sidere (meaning "to settle"). Subside is often used when a negative situation has improved significantly. For example, violence, disease, and unemployment can all subside. Here's hoping that they do.
Vocabulary lists containing subside
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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.
See Examples For:
They might subside for a little bit, but another system — Tropical Storm Fausto — could generate “another set of elevated swell at our beaches later this week into the weekend.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The high temperatures have begun to subside in Spain, however a forest fire broke out north-east of Barcelona forcing 16,000 to stay in their homes on Friday morning.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Should the inflation rate subside, mortgage rates could also take a dip,” Yun said in a written statement.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
No large fund is close to that tipping point yet, but analysts currently estimate the cash drain could take a year or more to subside.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
When the intensity of her feeling began to subside, and exhaustion took its place, she made her way slowly down the hill toward the village.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
The momentum in the second quarter might be hard to sustain unless the war ends, oil prices fall and inflation subsides.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
When the fighting subsides, he expects the broadening of performance in the stock market to resume.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 23, 2026
“If the energy shock from the war subsides and the economy doesn’t reaccelerate, I think we could see cuts later this year.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
One analyst said the “situation in Iran comes down to when the conflict subsides, Gulf State oil production returns to normal and the Strait of Hormuz reopens,”
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
The nausea subsides and I lie on the cold tile floor and breathe and count, like Dr. Crowchild taught me.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Once the disruption caused by the pandemic subsided, she was ready to kick on in 2022 and lined up ready to test herself against Jamaican great Elaine Thompson-Herah at an indoor meeting in Birmingham.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
By Monday, the dangerous conditions had largely subsided, according to the weather service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
U.S. stocks rose, led by the tech-heavy Nasdaq, as investors’ wartime jitters subsided and traders turned some of their attention back to the artificial intelligence trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Yet she and her husband would still celebrate the holiday with a traditional barbecue -- but later in the evening after the heat subsided.
From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026
Those tests came back negative, thankfully, but the pain never subsided.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
When asked if some of the business impact of those cultural moments is subsiding, Fiddelke said Target’s current sales lift comes from all types of shoppers and regions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
A new study published in Nature finds that many of the world's largest river deltas are subsiding more quickly than global sea levels are rising, putting hundreds of millions of people at potential risk.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 20, 2026
Tottenham went ahead twice before subsiding for the second time this season after leading PSG.
From Barron's ● Nov. 26, 2025
Economists have warned that the new levies will raise costs for companies, and lead to higher prices for households, risking the return of an inflation problem that appeared to be subsiding.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025
His whole body tingled with power, but the anger was subsiding.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
