calming

calming — verb

1. the act of helping a person who is upset, angry, or overly excited to become rel

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

the act of helping a person who is upset, angry, or overly excited to become relaxed and peaceful again.

例句

Maeve spent half an hour calming her little brother after he lost his favourite toy.

collocation: calming + possessive + person (her brother)

The nurse's gentle voice was calming the frightened child before the injection.

同義詞
  • soothing

    softer, often used for physical comfort (soothing a crying baby)

  • settling

    implies bringing a noisy or active situation to order

  • quietening

    chiefly British; focuses on stopping noise or chatter

反義詞

文法句型

calming + noun (person)

用法筆記

Frequently used in progressive tenses (was calming, is calming) when describing an ongoing action. Often followed by the person, animal, or group being soothed.

常見錯誤

❌She was calming down the baby.
✅She was calming the baby down.
💡In the phrasal verb 'calm down', the object can go between the verb and particle.

2. the act of helping a person become less tense or anxious about a particular conc

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

the act of helping a person become less tense or anxious about a particular concern.

例句

A warm bath with lavender oil helps in calming your nerves after a long day.

collocation: calming + (possessive) nerves

Yasmin found that listening to soft piano music was calming her pre-exam anxiety.

同義詞
  • easing

    more general; can apply to pain or tension as well as emotions

  • relieving

    stronger sense of removing the bad feeling entirely

  • soothing

    often describes physical sensations as well as emotions

反義詞

文法句型

calming + (someone's) nerves / fears / anxiety / mind

用法筆記

Object is usually an emotion or mental state (nerves, fears, anxiety, worries) rather than a person directly. Distinguish from sense 1 where the object is the person themselves.

常見錯誤

❌The music calmed his anger.
✅The music helped in calming his anger.
💡'Calming' as a gerund often pairs with 'help in', 'be good for', or 'work on'.

3. the process of a person, situation, or natural force becoming relaxed and quiet

3.動詞不及物B1
釋義

the process of a person, situation, or natural force becoming relaxed and quiet after a period of stress, anger, or activity.

例句

After ten minutes of slow deep breathing, Trang felt herself calming down gradually.

The storm showed no signs of calming until the early hours of the morning.

intransitive with natural force as subject (the storm)

同義詞
  • settling down

    implies moving from an active or excited state into a normal routine

  • cooling off

    informal; mainly for anger or heated arguments

  • composing oneself

    more formal; implies deliberate effort to regain calm

反義詞

文法句型

calming down

calming (on its own, less common)

用法筆記

Most commonly appears as 'calming down' when describing a person returning to a relaxed state. When used without 'down', the subject is often a situation, weather, or animal. Does not take a direct object.

常見錯誤

❌The baby is calming himself down.
✅The baby is calming down.
💡When used intransitively (sense 3), 'calming down' means the person is becoming calm on their own. No direct object needed.