Subside: meaning, example and synonyms

Subsidev. To become less intense, violent, or severe; to sink to a lower level.

Flashcard for Subside (verb): to become less intense, violent, or severe; to sink to a lower level. Example: Only after the floodwaters subsided could engineers inspect the bridge's foundations and judge whether it was safe to reopen. Synonyms: abate, recede, diminish, lessen. Antonyms: intensify, rise, swell, increase. Memory tip: sub ("under") + side ("settle"): it settles down. Illustration: floodwater slowly receding from a village street, leaving damp cobblestones as the sun comes out.

Example

Only after the floodwaters subsided could engineers inspect the bridge's foundations and judge whether it was safe to reopen.

Part of speech
verb
Synonyms
abate, recede, diminish, lessen
Antonyms
intensify, rise, swell, increase
Memory tip
sub ("under") + side ("settle"): it settles down.

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Check yourself: Subside in context

Pick the word that best completes each text, as on the SAT's words-in-context questions.

Question 1

Residents were told to stay indoors until the storm's winds ______, which forecasters expected by early evening.

Question 2

As the initial excitement over the discovery began to ______, scientists turned to the slower work of checking whether the results could be repeated.

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