pipe down
Definition
Verb (Phrasal Verb): - To become quiet; to stop talking or making noise. It is an informal, often imperative, instruction for someone to lower their voice or cease being loud.
Usage
This phrasal verb is used to tell someone, often directly or forcefully, to be less noisy or to stop talking. It is common in informal, spoken English. It can be used as a command ("Pipe down!") or to describe the action of becoming quiet.
Examples
- As a command:
- "Hey, kids, pipe down! I'm trying to work."
- "Pipe down back there! We can't hear the movie."
- Describing the action:
- The crowd finally piped down when the principal took the stage.
- I wish our neighbors would pipe down after midnight.
Advanced Usage
- "to pipe down": Can imply not just lowering volume but also calming down from excitement or agitation.
- The team was celebrating wildly, but they had to pipe down when the coach walked in.
Variants and Related Words
- Quieten down (verb): A more formal synonym with a similar meaning.
- The class quietened down as the test began.
- Hush (verb/interjection): A simpler, often softer, command for silence.
- She hushed the baby to sleep.
Synonyms
- Be quiet: The standard, neutral phrase.
- Quiet down: Very similar in meaning and register to "pipe down".
- Shut up: A much more direct and often rude synonym.
- Fall silent: A more descriptive and literary phrase for becoming quiet.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Settle down: Often used to ask someone to become calm and quiet.
- "Settle down, class, and take your seats."
- Calm down: Focuses more on emotional state but often leads to quietness.
- He needed to calm down and stop shouting.
Related Idioms
- Hold your tongue: An idiom meaning to stop talking, often when wanting to say something critical or angry.
- I had to hold my tongue during the argument.
- Keep it down: A common informal request for reduced noise.
- "Can you keep it down? The baby is sleeping."
Verb
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become quiet or quieter
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The audience fell silent when the speaker entered
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