1
as in stopping
to bring (something) to a standstill
it seemed as though nothing could still the fighting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in calming
to free from distress or disturbance
reading a book helps me to relax and still my mind before going to bed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
the conversation was abruptly stilled by a loud crash from the next room
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stilling
Finally, deep reading is a stilling exercise.
—
Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
Wilkos became the host of his own talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show, which is stilling running, in 2007.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Produced from vines dating back to 1950, the 2002, 2005 and 2015 are stilling thriving.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The beginning of the Lesson includes the story of Jesus stilling a life-threatening storm on the Sea of Galilee.
—Nancy Humphrey Case, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
Big Think, 11 Mar. 2026
Wilkos became the host of his own talk show, The Steve Wilkos Show, which is stilling running, in 2007.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Produced from vines dating back to 1950, the 2002, 2005 and 2015 are stilling thriving.
—Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The beginning of the Lesson includes the story of Jesus stilling a life-threatening storm on the Sea of Galilee.
—Nancy Humphrey Case, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stilling
Verb
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That led many to believe that, while treatments and crisis care are vital, the goal of suicide prevention needs to expand beyond stopping people from dying to also giving them reasons to live.—
Aneri Pattani,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Bain walked purposefully, never slowing, never stopping — not even to size himself up in his new Bucs hat in the mirror — before striding onstage for a hug with the commissioner.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hug a Therapy Llama Therapy llamas and alpacas are calming fliers' nerves at this US airport.—
Hannah Wallace,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Apr. 2026
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Maybe that was a way of calming his nerves, but the upshot is to give him a disaffected air that’s almost Lou Reed adjacent.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What was clear was that progress toward a universal theory of ultrafinitism has been halting in part because there has been no one clear motivation for the movement, or any singular approach to deciding what its underlying logic should look like.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Apr. 2026
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Blue Owl was among the poster children of this phenomenon, halting quarterly redemptions in OBDC II in mid-February, and opting instead to return capital periodically through portfolio asset sales.—
Leslie Picker,
CNBC,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The songs are by composing legend Mike Stoller, now 93, and a master tunesmith during the era in which much of the story spans.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
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The track has been newly mixed and mastered and features Prince producing, arranging, composing and performing all instrumentation.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The alarms go off, the two get locked in the entry hall, and as Emma panics, Charlie rushes over to kiss her, quieting her fear.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
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Research has linked prolonged exposure to that level of ambient noise to elevated stress and anxiety, so by quieting that baseline sensory load, ANC creates the right environment for some calming music or a meditation app to do its job.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Chicago White Sox have been searching for offensive production from the catching position.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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Sophomore Nate Roberts is a 6-5, 240-pounder who has blocking experience and showed off versatility catching passes in the spring.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Diaper rash cream, chocolate brown baby booties and throat-soothing lollipops littered the hotel bed.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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There’s truly nothing better than the scent of fresh laundry and soothing lavender!—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stilling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stilling. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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