still

1
[ stil ]
See synonyms for still on Thesaurus.com
adjective,still·er, still·est.
  1. remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary: to stand still.

  2. free from sound or noise, as a place or persons; silent: to keep still about a matter.

  1. subdued or low in sound; hushed: a still, small voice.

  2. free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful; tranquil; calm: the still air.

  3. without waves or perceptible current; not flowing, as water.

  4. not effervescent or sparkling, as wine.

  5. Photography. noting, pertaining to, or used for making single photographs, as opposed to a motion picture.

noun
  1. stillness or silence: the still of the night.

  2. Photography. a single photographic print, as one of the frames of a motion-picture film.

adverb
  1. at this or that time; as previously: Are you still here?

  2. up to this or that time; as yet: A day before departure we were still lacking an itinerary.

  1. in the future as in the past: Objections will still be made.

  2. even; in addition; yet (used to emphasize a comparative): still more complaints; still greater riches.

  3. even then; yet; nevertheless: to be rich and still crave more.

  4. without sound or movement; quietly: Sit still!

  5. at or to a greater distance or degree.

  6. Archaic. steadily; constantly; always.

conjunction
  1. and yet; but yet; nevertheless:It was futile, still they fought.

verb (used with object)
  1. to silence or hush (sounds, voices, etc.).

  2. to calm, appease, or allay: to still a craving.

  1. to quiet, subdue, or cause to subside (waves, winds, commotion, tumult, passion, pain, etc.).

verb (used without object)
  1. to become still or quiet.

Idioms about still

  1. still and all, nonetheless; even with everything considered: Even though you dislike us, still and all you should be polite.

Origin of still

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective and adverbstill(e), Old English stille; Middle English noun stille “calm (after a storm),” derivative of the adjective; Middle English verb stillen, stil(le) “to be, fall, or remain silent,” Old English stillan; conjunction derivative of the adverb; akin to German still (adjective), stille (adverb), stillen (verb), Dutch stil (adjective and adverb), stillen (verb); see stall1

synonym study For still

2. Still, quiet, hushed, noiseless, silent indicate the absence of noise and of excitement or activity accompanied by sound. Still indicates the absence of sound or movement: The house was still. Quiet implies relative freedom from noise, activity, or excitement: a quiet engine; a quiet vacation. Hushed implies the suppression of sound or noise: a hushed whisper. Noiseless and silent characterize that which does not reveal its presence or movement by any sound: a noiseless footstep; silent dissent.

Other words for still

Other definitions for still (2 of 3)

still2
[ stil ]

noun
  1. a distilling apparatus, consisting of a vessel in which a liquid is heated and vaporized and a cooling device or coil for condensing the vapor.

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to distill.

Origin of still

2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb stillen, variant of distillen to distill

Other definitions for Still (3 of 3)

Still
[ stil ]

noun
  1. Andrew Taylor, 1828–1917, U.S. founder of osteopathy.

  2. William Grant, 1895–1978, U.S. composer.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use still in a sentence

  • The stillest hour of the night had come, the hour before dawn, when the world seems to hold its breath.

  • Think of owning even a half acre of pine woods, stillest and coolest of spots!

    The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard Eaton
  • There is a sudden wind among those stones that casts men down on the stillest day.

    Kim | Rudyard Kipling
  • In the stillest night, the air is filled with sounds for the wakeful ear that is resolved to listen.

    The Claims of Labour | Arthur Helps
  • Repining love is the stillest; the shady flowers in this spring as in the other, shun sunlight.

    Pearls of Thought | Maturin M. Ballou

British Dictionary definitions for still (1 of 2)

still1

/ (stɪl) /


adjective
  1. (usually predicative) motionless; stationary

  2. undisturbed or tranquil; silent and calm

  1. not sparkling or effervescent: a still wine

  2. gentle or quiet; subdued

  3. obsolete (of a child) dead at birth

adverb
  1. continuing now or in the future as in the past: do you still love me?

  2. up to this or that time; yet: I still don't know your name

  1. (often used with a comparative) even or yet: still more insults

  2. quiet or without movement: sit still

  3. poetic, dialect always

noun
  1. poetic silence or tranquillity: the still of the night

    • a still photograph, esp of a scene from a motion-picture film

    • (as modifier): a still camera

verb
  1. to make or become still, quiet, or calm

  2. (tr) to allay or relieve: her fears were stilled

sentence connector
  1. even then; nevertheless: the child has some new toys and still cries

Origin of still

1
Old English stille; related to Old Saxon, Old High German stilli, Dutch stollen to curdle, Sanskrit sthānús immobile

Derived forms of still

  • stillness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for still (2 of 2)

still2

/ (stɪl) /


noun
  1. an apparatus for carrying out distillation, consisting of a vessel in which a mixture is heated, a condenser to turn the vapour back to liquid, and a receiver to hold the distilled liquid, used esp in the manufacture of spirits

  2. a place where spirits are made; distillery

Origin of still

2
C16: from Old French stiller to drip, from Latin stillāre, from stilla a drip; see distil

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with still

still

In addition to the idioms beginning with still

  • still and all
  • still small voice
  • still waters run deep

also see:

  • heart misses a beat (stands still)
  • hold still
  • jury is still out
  • keep quiet (still)
  • quiet (still) as a mouse

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.