settle down
No objectThis verb takes no object at all.
How to say it
Stress the particle, not the verb: settle DOWN. Saying “SETTLE down” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.
No pause between the words. /l/ runs straight into /d/ — “settle down” is one rhythmic unit with a single stressed beat on the particle.
2 meanings
- 1
To become calm and quiet.
- “It took a while for the class to settle down.”
Similar: calm down, quiet down
- 2
To start a stable, usually domestic, life.
- “They settled down in a small town outside Denver.”