From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsit down phrasal verb1 SITto be in a sitting position or get into a sitting position It was good to be sitting down eating dinner with my family. Sit down, Amy – you look tired.sit yourself down Sit yourself down and have a drink.2 sit somebody down to make someone sit down or help them to sit downsit somebody down in/on I helped her into the room and sat her down in an armchair.3 sit down and do somethingATTENTION to try to solve a problem or deal with something that needs to be done, by giving it all your attention The three of us need to sit down and have a talk. Sit down and work out just what you spend. → sit→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sit down• Come in and sit down.• Oh, it's nice to sit down after all that waiting.• Sit down and finish your breakfast.• Sit down -- I have some bad news for you.• Fay sat down on the edge of the bed.• Pull up a chair, and sit down right here.sit yourself down• Did she sit herself down alone, smoke a cigarette, have a glass of wine?• Cornelius sat himself down and regarded the envelopes with suspicion.• Mrs Tilling viewed the proceedings with some misgivings, but sat herself down gingerly on the edge of the seat.• She was surprised and sat herself down more carefully than was necessary on the stone seating.• The women simply sat themselves down next to the trees and defied the bulldozers to approach.• While the adults sat on their forms we sat ourselves down on an assortment of broken chairs borrowed from the neighbours.• Had I brought a towel, I could have sat myself down on the sand.• Then she sat herself down to rest.sit in/on• She sat gracefully down on a low chair.• Michael sat himself down in an armchair and looked around the room slowly.• She sits me down in Jamie's heap of a living room while she clatters in the kitchenette.• He came over and without a word sat right down on me.• I sat him down in my one chair and started to quiz him on his five years since graduation.• Had I brought a towel, I could have sat myself down on the sand.• She sat them down on the sofa.• While the adults sat on their forms we sat ourselves down on an assortment of broken chairs borrowed from the neighbours. sit down and do something• First we should sit down and work out the financing.• But I found I could just sit down and play by ear.• He sat down and pushed at the lid with one filthy paw.• Something that makes you want to sit down and take notice.• The harvesters stopped work, sat down and started to eat and drink.• The Springboks sat down and waited.• Then she sat down and started to eat.• Then the Kuchas sat down and ate the fish in his honor.• We can all sit down and analyze.sit-downˈsit-down1 adjective 1 a sit-down meal or restaurant is one in which you sit at a table and eat a formal meal a sit-down meal for 20 people2 → sit-down strike/protestExamples from the Corpus
sit-down• Like many walk-in, sit-down cafes, they also sell pastries and fruit drinks.• We usually organize a sit-down dinner, but we wanted to go for something less formal this year.• Leave the crystal and good china to those intimate, sit-down dinner parties.• A sit-down interview with Ricki Lake?• Instead of a sit-down meal at the reception, everybody milled around, eating from trays of finger foods.• What is the maximum number of diners which will have to be accommodated at a sit-down meal?• Nearly 1,000 fans staged a sit-down protest calling for Branfoot's head, despite the victory sealed by Richard Hall's header.• And the first new sit-down restaurant to open in Watts after the 1965 riots did not do so until November 1991.• We offer a cafeteria and a sit-down service at very reasonable rates.sit-downsit-down2 noun [singular] British English if you have a sit-down, you sit and rest for a short while You look as if you need a sit-down.Examples from the Corpus
sit-down• The others acknowledged us cheerily, clearly relieved to have been allowed 30 seconds for a sit-down.• My friends had to have their first sit-down in sight of the car.• Yes, George and I have had our sit-down.From Longman Business Dictionarysit-downˈsit-down adjective sit-down protest/strike a protest in which people sit down, especially to block a road or other public place, until their demands are listened toWorkers at the country’s second-largest steel factory began a sit-down strike.Investors staged sit-down protests, demanding special government measures to prevent a stock market crash. 