quiet
♦♦ qui|et /kw'aɪət/ (quieter quietest quiets quieting quieted)
1 [ADJ]
Someone or something that is quiet makes only a small amount of noise.
Tania kept the children reasonably quiet and contented...
A quiet murmur passed through the classroom...
The airlines have invested enormous sums in new, quieter aircraft.
≠ noisy
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
`This is goodbye, isn't it?' she said quietly...
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
...the smoothness and quietness of the flight.
2 [ADJ]
If a place is quiet, there is very little noise there.
She was received in a small, quiet office...
The street was unnaturally quiet.
≠ noisy
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
I miss the quietness of the countryside.
3 [ADJ]
If a place, situation, or time is quiet, there is no excitement, activity, or trouble.
It is very quiet without him...
While he wanted Los Angeles and partying, she wanted a quiet life...
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
His most prized time, though, will be spent quietly on his farm.
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
I do very much appreciate the quietness and privacy here.
4 [N-UNCOUNT]
Quiet is silence.
He called for quiet and announced that the next song was in our honor...
5 [ADJ] v-link ADJ
If you are quiet, you are not saying anything.
I told them to be quiet and go to sleep...
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
Amy stood quietly in the doorway watching him.
6 [ADJ] ADJ n
If you refer, for example, to someone's quiet confidence or quiet despair, you mean that they do not say much about the way they are feeling.
He has a quiet confidence in his ability...
● quietly [ADV] ADV adj
Nigel Deering, the publisher, is quietly confident about the magazine's chances.
7 [ADJ] ADJ n
You describe activities as quiet when they happen in secret or in such a way that people do not notice them.
The Swedes had sought his freedom through quiet diplomacy...
● quietly [ADV] usu ADV with v, also ADV adj
I slipped away quietly...
The goal of shifting freight from road to rail has been quietly abandoned...
8 [ADJ]
A quiet person behaves in a calm way and is not easily made angry or upset.
He's a nice quiet man.
= placid
9 [VERB] V, V n
If someone or something quiets or if you quiet them, they become less noisy, less active, or silent. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten)
The wind dropped and the sea quieted...
Estela started to say something but a gesture from her husband quieted her at once.
10 [VERB] V n
To quiet fears or complaints means to persuade people that there is no good reason for them. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten)
Music seemed to quiet her anxiety and loneliness.
11 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone does not go quietly, they do not leave a particular job or a place without complaining or resisting.
She's not going to go quietly.
12 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you keep quiet about something or keep something quiet, you do not say anything about it.
I told her to keep quiet about it...
13 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something is done on the quiet, it is done secretly or in such a way that people do not notice it.
She'd promised to give him driving lessons, on the quiet, when no one could see.quiet down
[PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
If someone or something quiets down or if you quiet them down, they become less noisy or less active. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten down)
Once the vote was taken, things quieted down quickly...
Try gradually to quiet them down as bedtime approaches.
1 [ADJ]
Someone or something that is quiet makes only a small amount of noise.
Tania kept the children reasonably quiet and contented...
A quiet murmur passed through the classroom...
The airlines have invested enormous sums in new, quieter aircraft.
≠ noisy
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
`This is goodbye, isn't it?' she said quietly...
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
...the smoothness and quietness of the flight.
2 [ADJ]
If a place is quiet, there is very little noise there.
She was received in a small, quiet office...
The street was unnaturally quiet.
≠ noisy
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
I miss the quietness of the countryside.
3 [ADJ]
If a place, situation, or time is quiet, there is no excitement, activity, or trouble.
It is very quiet without him...
While he wanted Los Angeles and partying, she wanted a quiet life...
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
His most prized time, though, will be spent quietly on his farm.
● quietness [N-UNCOUNT]
I do very much appreciate the quietness and privacy here.
4 [N-UNCOUNT]
Quiet is silence.
He called for quiet and announced that the next song was in our honor...
5 [ADJ] v-link ADJ
If you are quiet, you are not saying anything.
I told them to be quiet and go to sleep...
● quietly [ADV] ADV with v
Amy stood quietly in the doorway watching him.
6 [ADJ] ADJ n
If you refer, for example, to someone's quiet confidence or quiet despair, you mean that they do not say much about the way they are feeling.
He has a quiet confidence in his ability...
● quietly [ADV] ADV adj
Nigel Deering, the publisher, is quietly confident about the magazine's chances.
7 [ADJ] ADJ n
You describe activities as quiet when they happen in secret or in such a way that people do not notice them.
The Swedes had sought his freedom through quiet diplomacy...
● quietly [ADV] usu ADV with v, also ADV adj
I slipped away quietly...
The goal of shifting freight from road to rail has been quietly abandoned...
8 [ADJ]
A quiet person behaves in a calm way and is not easily made angry or upset.
He's a nice quiet man.
= placid
9 [VERB] V, V n
If someone or something quiets or if you quiet them, they become less noisy, less active, or silent. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten)
The wind dropped and the sea quieted...
Estela started to say something but a gesture from her husband quieted her at once.
10 [VERB] V n
To quiet fears or complaints means to persuade people that there is no good reason for them. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten)
Music seemed to quiet her anxiety and loneliness.
11 [PHRASE] V inflects
If someone does not go quietly, they do not leave a particular job or a place without complaining or resisting.
She's not going to go quietly.
12 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you keep quiet about something or keep something quiet, you do not say anything about it.
I told her to keep quiet about it...
13 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If something is done on the quiet, it is done secretly or in such a way that people do not notice it.
She'd promised to give him driving lessons, on the quiet, when no one could see.quiet down
[PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
If someone or something quiets down or if you quiet them down, they become less noisy or less active. (mainly AM; in BRIT, usually use quieten down)
Once the vote was taken, things quieted down quickly...
Try gradually to quiet them down as bedtime approaches.