(~er, ~est, ~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ person does not show or feel any worry, anger, or excitement.
She is usually a ~ and diplomatic woman...
Try to keep ~ and just tell me what happened...
She sighed, then continued in a soft, ~ voice...
ADJ
•
Calm is also a noun.
He felt a sudden sense of ~, of contentment.
N-UNCOUNT: also a N
~ly
Alan looked at him and said ~ly, ‘I don’t believe you.’...
ADV: usu ADV with v, also ADV adj
2.
If you ~ someone, you do something to make them feel less angry, worried, or excited.
She was breathing quickly and tried to ~ herself...
Some people say smoking ~s your nerves.
VERB: V n, V n
~ing
...a fresh, cool fragrance which produces a very ~ing effect on the mind.
ADJ
3.
Calm is used to refer to a quiet, still, or peaceful atmosphere in a place.
...the rural ~ of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
= peace
N-UNCOUNT
4.
If someone says that a place is ~, they mean that it is free from fighting or public disorder, when trouble has recently occurred there or had been expected. (JOURNALISM)
The city of Sarajevo appears relatively ~ today.
= peaceful
ADJ: usu v-link ADJ
•
Calm is also a noun.
Community and church leaders have appealed for ~ and no retaliation...
N-UNCOUNT: also a N
5.
To ~ a situation means to reduce the amount of trouble, violence, or panic there is.
Mr Beazer tried to ~ the protests by promising to keep the company’s base in Pittsburgh.
VERB: V n
6.
If the sea or a lake is ~, the water is not moving very much and there are no big waves.
...as we slid into the ~ waters of Cowes Harbour.
= still
? rough
ADJ
7.
Calm weather is pleasant weather with little or no wind.
Tuesday was a fine, clear and ~ day.
ADJ
8.
In sailing, a flat ~ or a dead ~ is a condition of the sea or the weather in which there is very little wind or movement of the water. (TECHNICAL)
N-COUNT: usu supp N
9.
When the sea ~s, it becomes still because the wind stops blowing strongly. When the wind ~s, it stops blowing strongly.
Dawn came, the sea ~ed but the cold was as bitter as ever.
VERB: V
10.
You can use the ~ before the storm to refer to a quiet period in which there is little or no activity, before a period in which there is a lot of trouble or intense activity.
PHRASE