Becalm

/bɪˈkɑːm/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive, obsolete) To make calm or still; make quiet; calm..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive, obsolete) To make calm or still; make quiet; calm.
2. (transitive, nautical) To deprive (a ship) of wind, so that it cannot move (usually in passive).

Example Sentences

[…] there is neither house nor landes, nor great store of gold & siluer, nor honor and noblenes of blood, nor greatnes of office, and estate, nor the grace and vehemencie of speach, which doth so much lighten, and so sweetlie becalme the life of man, as an vndefiled conscience […]

Almighty Beauty quite becalms my Rage: In looking on thee, I forget thy Crimes:

“Pardon me,” he said, with a quietness that struck the company with a becalming awe.

1555, Richard Eden (translator), The decades of the newe worlde or west India conteynyng the nauigations and conquestes of the Spanyardes by Peter Martyr d’Anghiera, London: Edward Sutton, “The seconde v[o]yage to Guinea,” p. 351, […] there we were becalmed the .xx. day of Nouember from .vi. of the clocke in the mornynge vntyll foure of the clocke at after none.

In the following two days, they made fast progress, strong easterly winds driving them down the Channel to where it opened out into the Atlantic; there, they were briefly becalmed.

Synonyms for becalm

Antonyms for becalm

Related Words

Word Forms

• becalms
• becalming
• becalmed

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions