Subside Meaning
/sʌbˈsaɪd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo sink or fall to the bottom; to settle, as lees.
verbTo fall downward; to become lower; to descend; to sink.
Sentence Examples
The flood began to subside.
She waited nervously for his anger to subside.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the heavy rain stopped, the flood waters began to ____ and slowly go down.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We waited for the heavy rain to ____ before we decided to leave the safety of the small hunting cabin.
Word Origin & History
From Latin subsīdō (“to settle, subside”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"An illuminating article in a recent issue of the Eastern Region's Civil Engineering News points out that where coal is worked over a reasonably large area, it is not only the whole of the strata above the workings, but also an area beyond which is liable to subside at varying rates after the coal has been removed."
— 1961 November, “Talking of Trains: The subsidence problem”, in Trains Illustrated, page 651:
"Long after his cigar burnt bitter, he sat with eyes fixed on the blaze. When the flames at last began to flicker and subside, his lids fluttered, then drooped ; but he had lost all reckoning of time when he opened them again to find Miss Erroll in furs and ball-gown kneeling on the hearth and heaping kindling on the coals,[…]."
— 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter III, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
"I've been meaning to tell you / I've got this feelin' that won't subside / I look at you and I fantasize"
— 1987, John DeNicola, Franke Previte, “Hungry Eyes”, performed by Eric Carmen:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the heavy rain stopped, the flood waters began to ____ and slowly go down.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
We waited for the heavy rain to ____ before we decided to leave the safety of the small hunting cabin.