subside
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
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to become less loud, excited, violent, etc; abate
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to sink or fall to a lower level
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(of the surface of the earth, etc) to cave in; collapse
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(of sediment, etc) to sink or descend to the bottom; settle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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subsidesimple
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subsidessimple
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have subsidedperfect
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has subsidedperfect
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am subsidingprogressive
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are subsidingprogressive
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is subsidingprogressive
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have been subsidingperfect progressive
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has been subsidingperfect progressive
Past
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subsidedsimple
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had subsidedperfect
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was subsidingprogressive
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were subsidingprogressive
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had been subsidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of subside
First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin subsīdere, from sub- sub- + sīdere “to sit down, settle” ( see also sit 1)
Explanation
To subside is to die down or become less violent, like rough ocean waves after a storm has passed (or your seasickness, if you happened to be sailing on that ocean). Subside comes from the Latin prefix sub- (meaning "down") and the Latin verb sidere (meaning "to settle"). Subside is often used when a negative situation has improved significantly. For example, violence, disease, and unemployment can all subside. Here's hoping that they do.
Vocabulary lists containing subside
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They might subside for a little bit, but another system — Tropical Storm Fausto — could generate “another set of elevated swell at our beaches later this week into the weekend.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Plus, investors’ wartime jitters subside, and the World Cup favorites have learned to defeat soccer’s ‘dark arts.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Should the inflation rate subside, mortgage rates could also take a dip,” Yun said in a written statement.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026
The software sector is seeing a broad turnaround as AI fears subside, with strong performances in stocks like Datadog and Fortinet.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
Claire found that the laughter was making her own anger subside.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
The other half decided to stick with the old regime for now, meaning they will see a 40% cut in funding this year as those subsides are phased out.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Other companies looking to transport consumer-packaged goods with less immediate demand might wait to ship them until the price spike subsides, or send their goods via train, which can take longer but uses less diesel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
One analyst said the “situation in Iran comes down to when the conflict subsides, Gulf State oil production returns to normal and the Strait of Hormuz reopens,”
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
Moreover, the conflict is becoming more drawn out, and even if it subsides there is a risk of an instable resolution where Iranian nuclear material and know-how leaks out to hostile groups around the Gulf.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 10, 2026
Werner is seized with a sudden and foreboding dread, but then Hauptmann looks back at him, and the feeling subsides.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
When Archer fended the second new ball to slip off Smith, England quickly subsided.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
The latest alert shows that Western officials don’t believe the threat has subsided despite efforts to bring the issue to light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
There was no immediate word on casualties as of Thursday morning, and by 9:30 am the fighting had subsided as the government and opposition entered negotiations, according to sources.
From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026
These claims have gradually subsided since hitting a postpandemic peak of nearly 2 million one year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 4, 2026
By the time I stepped onto the mat, my queasiness had subsided.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
A new study published in Nature finds that many of the world's largest river deltas are subsiding more quickly than global sea levels are rising, putting hundreds of millions of people at potential risk.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 20, 2026
Pakistan would likely gain a measure of relief from subsiding Sunni-Shiite tensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Verdi sees inflation subsiding toward 2% as an initial jolt to food prices wears off.
From Barron's ● Jan. 8, 2026
Instead of subsiding, Villa rose to rattle PSG in a manner that was well beyond Manchester City and Liverpool in previous Champions League rounds this season.
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2025
Its gristly nose was subsiding into its skull hole.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.