stilled
- 1Simple past and past participle of still.
The conductor stilled the orchestra with a single raised hand.
The crowd's noise was stilled the moment she stepped onto the stage.
Note
The verb form behind both the "standstill" adjective and the "quieted" adjective. It takes have in the perfect (the wind has stilled) and be in the passive (the waters were stilled). One other reading is easy to miss. Still can also mean "distill", so spirit stilled by heat has been distilled, not calmed. An obsolete still meant "to trickle or drip".
- 2Brought to a standstill, with all motion or activity stopped.
The stilled propellers told everyone the engine had finally failed.
A stilled clock on the mantel marked the exact hour of the disaster.
Similarstopped, motionless, stationary, frozen
- 3
Showing meanings only.
stilled is a form of still
still, verb: To make someone or something calm or quiet. Full entry
- Spelling
- still → stilled: add -ed
Practice
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