- 1 making very little noise her quiet voice a quieter, more efficient engine Could you keep the kids quiet while I'm on the phone? He went very quiet (= did not say much) so I knew he was upset. ‘Be quiet,’ said the teacher. She crept downstairs (as) quiet as a mouse. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, become, fall, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … prepositionabout phrasesnice (and) quiet See full entry
- 2 without many people or much noise or activity a quiet street They lead a quiet life. Business is usually quieter at this time of year. They had a quiet wedding. The hotel is in a quiet location near the sea. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, seem, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry
- 3 not disturbed; peaceful to have a quiet drink I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, look, seem, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry
- 4 (of a person) tending not to talk very much She was quiet and shy.
- 5(of a feeling or an attitude) definite but not expressed in an obvious way He had an air of quiet authority. Word OriginMiddle English (originally as a noun denoting peace as opposed to war): via Old French, based on Latin quies, quiet- ‘repose, quiet’.Extra examples His voice was dangerously quiet as he asked the question. I knew I had to keep quiet about it. I was looking forward to a nice quiet afternoon. Just sit quiet for a moment, there’s a good boy. Keep that dog quiet, will you! Keep the patient as quiet as possible. Lie quiet for an hour and you’ll feel better. She went back to a strangely quiet house. Suddenly the room went all quiet. The house was eerily quiet. The negotiations were quiet and hurried. Things seemed quiet enough, but it was an uneasy calm. We’ll have to keep this quiet—if it gets out, we’ll all be in a lot of trouble. ‘ Be quiet,’ said the teacher. Could you keep the kids quiet while I’m on the phone? During the week it’s a good place to go for a quiet drink. He went very quiet so I knew he was upset. How would you like a quieter, more efficient engine? I could hardly hear her quiet little voice. She crept downstairs (as) quiet as a mouse. She was quiet and shy, and never spoke up in class. The house was quiet except for the sound of the television. We could hear quiet footsteps in the corridor.Idioms
to say nothing about something; to keep something secret I've decided to resign but I'd rather you kept quiet about it. This story is too big to be kept quiet.
Check pronunciation: quiet
