die down
slowly become less strong, loud, or noticeable
What does "die down" mean?
Examples
- The wind died down just before sunrise, and the sea became calm.
- We're hoping the media attention will die down before the end of the week.
- Once the applause had died down, the speaker continued her presentation.
How to use it
The most common pattern — an impersonal force, sound, or social reaction is the subject, and die down needs no object.
The controversy died down after a few weeks, and people moved on.
Used when someone is pausing and expecting something to lose intensity before they act.
She decided to wait for the online criticism to die down before responding publicly.
Used to describe something that will happen after the intensity subsides — often in future or narrative contexts.
Once the excitement dies down, we can have a proper conversation about next steps.
An adverb like 'gradually' or 'slowly' can be added before die down to emphasise the gradual nature of the change.
The cheering gradually died down as the players left the pitch.
A time expression can follow die down to indicate how quickly or when the change happened.
The wind died down overnight, and by morning it was perfectly still.
Common Collocations
Common Mistakes
Die down is only used with impersonal subjects like weather, noise, or public reactions — not with people. If you mean a person becomes calmer, use 'calm down' instead.
'Die down' means something decreases in intensity but could return; 'die out' means something disappears completely and permanently, like a species or old tradition.
Because die down is intransitive, it cannot take an object — you cannot 'die something down'. If you want to express that someone caused something to reduce, you need a different verb entirely.
Usage
Die down is neutral in register and works in both spoken and written English worldwide. It often implies that something is subsiding temporarily, not disappearing forever — use 'die out' if you mean something vanishes completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 'die down' be used in the passive, like 'the noise was died down'?
No — die down is intransitive, which means it has no object and cannot be made passive. The subject is always the thing that loses intensity: 'the noise died down', not 'the noise was died down'.
Does 'die down' always suggest something is temporary?
Not always, but it often carries that implication. When something dies down, it weakens rather than ends completely, so there is usually a sense that it could return. If you want to say something has ended permanently, 'die out' is more appropriate.
Can I use 'die down' to describe emotions, or only weather and noise?
You can use it for emotions and feelings as long as the subject is abstract or collective rather than a specific person. For example, 'the tension died down' or 'the panic died down' are both natural. What you want to avoid is saying that a person themselves died down — use 'calm down' for that.
Is there a difference between 'the anger died down' and 'the anger wore off'?
'Wear off' is typically used for effects caused by something external — like the effect of a drug, caffeine, or an initial surprise. 'Die down' is better for collective feelings, noise, weather, or social reactions that naturally lose momentum over time.
Can 'die down' refer to something happening right now, or only in the past?
It works in any tense. You can say 'the wind is dying down' (present continuous) to describe something happening at this moment, 'the wind died down' (simple past) for a completed event, or 'things will die down soon' (future) to make a prediction.
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