(intransitive, British) To reduce intensity of an activity.
(intransitive, British) To reduce intensity of an activity.
Diplomacy can only begin when the violence quietens down.
Add your own interpretation of "quieten down".
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
Browse all slang words starting with Q.
(transitive, British) To make someone or something become quieter.
The teacher did her best to quieten the children down.
(intransitive, British) To become quieter.
As the lights dimmed the audience quietened down.
"quieten down" means: To become quieter.. This is a fairly neutral word with no inherent risk attached. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than something dangerous. If your child uses it, context will usually make the meaning clear. A brief, curious question about where they heard it is generally enough to know whether to follow up.
"quieten down" means: To become quieter.. Register: neutral, standard English, usable in most everyday contexts. Note the regional or dialect label (British) — usage may sound odd outside that variety. A common non-native mistake is to use the word in the wrong register, or to assume one fixed meaning when it is actually polysemous; always check the surrounding register and the audience before producing it yourself. In formal writing, prefer a neutral synonym or a short descriptive phrase, and use this word only when you have heard or read it being used naturally in a comparable context.