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
-
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:
But equally don't expect election speculation to subside at this conference.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
As the magma continues to escape, sections of the unsupported ground subside, opening new fractures and vents while feeding further eruptive columns and pyroclastic density currents.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
EV market is unlikely to subside in the next five years, Murphy said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
In his experience, fears subside after the plans are in place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The voices subside, and I lean back against the dirt wall and let myself think.
From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland
Eventually, the novelty of the road trip fades, and hope subsides.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
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
The other half decided to stick with the old regime for now, meaning they will see a 40% cut in funding this year as those subsides are phased out.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Fed officials would typically look through this oil shock because, presumably, when the latest conflict in the Middle East subsides, the inflationary surge will abate as well.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
“You’re funny,” he says after our laughter subsides.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
Ohtani said Tuesday that his symptoms have subsided since the Dodgers put him on the injured list, for the minimum stay.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
U.S. stocks ended a volatile trading session slightly higher after Treasury yields retreated from multiyear highs and expectations for another rate hike this month subsided.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Fears about software disruptions have subsided, leaving shares of Microsoft, which is also making hay with its Azure cloud division, up 28% over the past three months.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
While rates for other pregnancy-related deaths also increased during the pandemic, those climbs have largely subsided.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The carping had subsided, he wrote, but few of the carpers had as yet made the “amende honorable” that now clearly was due Chicago.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Many economists thought inflation sparked by the war in Iran was subsiding, but concerns are building once again in Europe and Asia, two continents heavily dependent on energy imports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 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
Pakistan would likely gain a measure of relief from subsiding Sunni-Shiite tensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
"With policy risk not subsiding anytime soon," analysts at Charles Schwab wrote in a research note, "the bar for a pullback or mini correction in the beginning of 2026 is not terribly high."
From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025
The girl-rat, her alarm apparently subsiding, began picking up her scattered papers.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
