INDEX:
1. calm in a difficult situation
2. usually calm
3. to become calm
4. to make someone calmer
5. what you say to someone when you want them to be calm
RELATED WORDS
a calm, quiet place : ↑ PEACEFUL
see also
↑ QUIET
↑ RELAX/RELAXED
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1. calm in a difficult situation
▷ calm /kɑːmǁkɑːm, kɑːlm/ [adjective]
not getting angry or upset, even in a difficult situation :
▪ I was trying to sound calm even though I was very upset.
▪ Everyone praised Douglas for the calm way in which he handled the situation.
keep/stay calm
▪ Keep calm and try not to panic.
calmly [adverb]
▪ ‘You can’t make me leave,’ he said calmly.
▷ stay cool/keep cool /ˌsteɪ ˈkuːl, ˌkiːp ˈkuːl/ [adjective]
to stay calm and not show your emotions, especially when other people are getting excited or angry :
▪ Sampras is the kind of player who always manages to stay cool, even under pressure.
keep your cool
not become angry
▪ He managed to keep his cool and ignore her last comments.
coolly [adverb]
▪ She walked coolly up to the front of the hall and picked up the microphone.
▷ keep your head /ˌkiːp jɔːʳ ˈhed/ [verb phrase]
to manage to stay calm and to behave in a sensible way when something is likely to make you feel frightened or worried :
▪ Paul’s good at keeping his head in a crisis.
▪ They were looking for a coach who could stay enthusiastic and keep his head at the same time.
▷ composed /kəmˈpəʊzd/ [adjective]
in control of your emotions so that you look and feel calm in a difficult or upsetting situation :
▪ I could see that she was angry but trying to remain composed.
▪ It was several minutes before he felt composed enough to speak to anyone.
▷ presence of mind /ˌprez ə ns əv ˈmaɪnd/ [noun phrase]
the ability to stay calm that makes someone able to do the right thing immediately even in a dangerous or difficult situation :
▪ His presence of mind prevented a serious accident.
presence of mind to do something
▪ I’m still amazed that a terrified 19-year-old would have the presence of mind to reason with her kidnapper.
▷ unfazed/not fazed /ʌnˈfeɪzd, nɒt ˈfeɪzd/ [adjective] informal
calm in a difficult situation, especially one in which someone is trying to confuse or upset you :
▪ Barton seemed unfazed by the accusations of corruption.
▪ A few traders are concerned by the recent drop in the stock market, but most are not fazed.
▷ level-headed /ˌlev ə l ˈhedə̇d◂/ [adjective]
able to behave sensibly, think clearly, and remain calm, even in a difficult situation :
▪ A good pilot needs to be calm and level-headed.
▪ He had a level-headed approach to financial matters.
2. usually calm
▷ calm /kɑːmǁkɑːm, kɑːlm/ [adjective]
always sensible and relaxed, rather than getting angry, excited, or upset in a difficult situation :
▪ Joe is a very calm and competent flying instructor.
▪ My sister was always calm and careful, whereas I would get excited and upset by the slightest thing.
▪ He has such a calm soothing voice - I could listen to him all night.
▷ relaxed /rɪˈlækst/ [adjective]
someone who is relaxed is calm and does not seem to be worried about anything, and it is pleasant for other people to be with them :
▪ George greeted us in his friendly relaxed way.
▪ You seem much more relaxed since you changed jobs.
▷ laid-back /ˌleɪd ˈbæk◂/ [adjective] informal
always relaxed and never seeming to worry about things that other people worry about :
▪ Sue’s always had a laid-back attitude toward life.
▪ He’s very laid-back and lets the kids do whatever they want.
▷ placid /ˈplæsɪd, ˈplæsəd/ [adjective]
always calm and satisfied and not often getting upset, angry, excited etc about anything :
▪ She’s a sweet, placid child who rarely gets upset or angry.
▪ There was a worried look on her normally placid face.
3. to become calm
▷ calm down /ˌkɑːm ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to become calm again after you have been angry or upset :
▪ I waited for him to calm down before I said anything.
▪ He sat down and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down.
▷ cool down/off /ˌkuːl ˈdaʊn, ˈɒf/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to calm down after you have been very angry :
▪ Leave her alone until she cools down a bit.
▪ I think you should both cool off, and maybe then you can sit down and discuss it rationally.
▷ compose yourself /kəmˈpəʊz jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to deliberately make yourself look and feel calm after you have been upset :
▪ She took several deep breaths to compose herself before going downstairs.
▪ He waited a moment outside the door so that Philip would have time to compose himself.
▷ steady your nerves /ˌstedi jɔːʳ ˈnɜːʳvz/ [verb phrase] especially British
if you do something, especially have an alcoholic drink, to steady your nerves, you do it to make yourself calm :
▪ They finally found him in the bar, where he had gone to steady his nerves.
4. to make someone calmer
▷ calm down /ˌkɑːm ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make someone calm, especially after they have suddenly become angry or excited :
calm somebody down
▪ Lois spent about an hour trying to calm him down.
▪ I laid my hands on her shoulders to calm her down, but she pushed me away.
calm down somebody
▪ The coach called a time-out to calm down the players.
▷ calm /kɑːmǁkɑːm, kɑːlm/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to make someone calm when they are worried and upset :
▪ We were all very concerned and did our best to calm her.
▪ His lawyer’s assurances that he would be found not guilty did little to calm him.
5. what you say to someone when you want them to be calm
▷ calm down /ˌkɑːm ˈdaʊn/ spoken
say this when someone is angry, upset, or excited and you want them to think calmly or speak calmly again :
▪ Calm down! Everything’s going to be OK.
▪ If you don’t calm down, Mom’s going to know something’s wrong.
▷ relax /rɪˈlæks/ spoken
say this to someone who is worried or frightened about something, in order to stop them worrying :
▪ Relax! This won’t hurt at all.
▪ You can relax now - it’s all over.
▷ take it easy /ˌteɪk ɪt ˈiːzi/ spoken informal
say this when someone is angry or upset, and you want to stop them saying or doing anything stupid :
▪ Hey, take it easy! Nobody’s saying you’re not good at your job.
▷ it’s okay/it’s all right /ɪts əʊˈkeɪ, ɪts ˌɔːl ˈraɪt/ spoken
say this to someone to make them stop being worried :
▪ It’s okay, Chris, he’s gone now.
▪ It’s all right, don’t cry, Mummy’s here.
▷ chill out/chill /ˌtʃɪl ˈaʊt, tʃɪl/ spoken informal
say this when someone is getting very nervous or worried, especially in a way that is annoying or unreasonable, and you want them to be calm - used especially by young people :
▪ OK, it’s all right - just chill out!
▪ Just chill for a second - I’ll figure something out.