still

1 of 6

adjective

1
a
: devoid of or abstaining from motion
b
archaic : sedentary
c
: not effervescent
still wine
d(1)
: of, relating to, or being a static photograph as contrasted with a motion picture
(2)
: designed for taking still photographs
a still camera
(3)
: engaged in taking still photographs
a still photographer
2
a
: uttering no sound : quiet
b
3
a
b
: free from noise or turbulence
stillness noun

still

2 of 6

verb (1)

stilled; stilling; stills

intransitive verb

: to become motionless or silent : quiet

transitive verb

1
a
: allay, calm
stilled their nerves
b
: to put an end to : settle
2
: to arrest the motion of
3

still

3 of 6

adverb

1
: without motion
sit still
2
archaic
b
: in a progressive manner : increasingly
3
used as a function word to indicate the continuance of an action or condition
still lives there
drink it while it's still hot
4
: in spite of that : nevertheless
those who take the greatest care still make mistakes
5
a
: even sense 1b
a still more difficult problem
heavier still
b
: yet sense 1a
has still to be recognized

still

4 of 6

noun (1)

1
2
: a static photograph
specifically : a photograph of actors or scenes of a motion picture for publicity or documentary purposes

still

5 of 6

verb (2)

stilled; stilling; stills

still

6 of 6

noun (2)

1
2
: apparatus used in distillation comprising either the chamber in which the vaporization is carried out or the entire equipment

Examples of still in a Sentence

Adjective The cat twitched slightly, and then was still. Everyone had left, and the house was finally still. a class in still photography They had still and fizzy drinks. Adverb Sit still. It'll just take a minute. the cat sat absolutely still, watching as the mouse began to make its way across the floor
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Cronenberg, whose portfolio includes work as a still photographer on dozens of film and TV productions, shot the film in Hamilton, Ontario, with a cast including Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire and Peter Gallagher. William Earl, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 Firing, and the shape and size of the still head are also admitted as modifying influences upon character. Mark Littler, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 The elegant sounds of works by Claude Debussy and Sergei Rachmaninoff echoed in the still arena. Bill Glauber, Journal Sentinel, 12 Jan. 2024 Image: OpenAI The model can also generate a video based on a still image, as well as fill in missing frames on an existing video or extend it. Emma Roth, The Verge, 15 Feb. 2024 The video quality is about on par with the still images. Sarah Lord, PCMAG, 5 Feb. 2024 That afternoon, however, Hodges joined the crowd massing in the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds, as shown in a still image from a publicly available video, the agent said in the complaint. Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 2 Feb. 2024 Or, perhaps more specific, its appearance in a still image that quickly became an internet meme: a shot of Carmy in a back room, having a heated conversation. Soraya Roberts, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2024 Below the hill, beyond ranks of lemon and olive trees, the Gulf of Corinth lay ironed flat on a still day. Samanth Subramanian, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2023
Adverb
The Ohio Department of Transportation first reported the closure at 7:56 p.m. and announced the reopening a few hours later at 11:06 p.m. The stretch of highway impacted by the closure is located in the Hartwell area but details of the crash are still unknown at this time. Aaron Valdez, The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024 On the comedy front, NBC has already ordered St. Denis Medical for next season and has Lopez vs. Lopez, Night Court and rookie Extended Family still on the bubble as well as a couple of half-hour pilots in contention. Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024 The strap is flexible but still keeps your foot in place, and the bottom offers great traction. Jessica Booth, Parents, 5 Apr. 2024 Magilligan said Pedro is still recovering from his wounds and has been unable to return to work. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024 And while the department is working to fix many of the errors, one is still causing difficulty for some mixed-status families, or families where the students are citizens, but the parents or guardians are not. Sequoia Carrillo, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024 Consumers, still scarred by the cost-of-living crisis, are wary of anything that might hit their pockets, and businesses are pushing back against excessive regulation. Ewa Krukowska, Fortune Europe, 5 Apr. 2024 Those of us who watched the 2017 solar eclipse might even have a pair still stashed in the back of our sock drawer. Julia Daye, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024 But there are still far more skeptics than proponents. Min Joo Kim, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Noun
Carney’s memorandum retold Laube’s sad life and contained stills from Laube’s attack on Tristan. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024 Since the release of the surveillance stills, Goudreau said, the community has reached out with more than 30 tips. Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 Turn on the recoil activation for the video and camera and capture unique stills and footage from your hunts. Amanda Oliver, Field & Stream, 21 Mar. 2024 Using a nearly monochromatic mix of black ink and photographic stills, Kantor imagines the moment when Haim escaped a group of Nazis by hiding in a pigsty. Peter Debruge, Variety, 4 Mar. 2024 The 172-page book features intimate captures on set, from black-and-white portraits of Timothee Chalamet and Austin Butler, to stills of Zendaya and the cast in between takes. Tim Chan, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 One wall is filled with 80 black-and-white film stills by Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa as a tribute to the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, while another showcases Mayan sculpture and vases. Ingrid Schmidt, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Mar. 2024 Photo stills of the assault showed two people kicking and punching the victim, who was lying on the ground. The Arizona Republic, 16 Feb. 2024 The decanter comes housed in a sculpture made of low carbon leather with a copper frame, which was crafted out of recycled metal from the distillery’s old stills. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
Moiraine was captured by the Dark One and either stilled or shielded to keep her from channeling, leaving her in a tight spot. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 19 July 2023 The French study identified climate change as the most likely cause of stilling over central Asia, which means Ren's modeling could well foretell a less productive future for wind power in China. Peter Fairley, IEEE Spectrum, 28 Dec. 2010 An in-the-know friend in London told me that the day after the video was released, the rumor mills were stilled. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2024 There's a touching scene between them where Lan asks if Moiraine has ever thought about suicide, as most Aes Sedai who are stilled end up killing themselves. Alex Raiman, EW.com, 29 Sep. 2023 The stilling subplot is entirely an invention of the show's. Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023 The first is the more in-universe one: few Aes Sedai have ever bothered studying the effects of being stilled. Andrew Cunningham & Lee Hutchinson, Ars Technica, 29 Sep. 2023 But the impractical value is likely larger; to be in the presence of a giant is for some reason calming—the air felt tranquil here, the sunlight scattered, the wind stilled. Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2023 His device sees what no naked human eye can apprehend: a bright white vortex of time elapsed, frame upon frame upon frame, at once stilled and in motion. Emily Labarge, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'still.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English stille, from Old English; akin to Old High German stilli still and perhaps to Old English steall stall — more at stall

Verb (2)

Middle English stillen, short for distillen to distill

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of still was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near still

Cite this Entry

“Still.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/still. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

still

1 of 5 adjective
1
a
: not moving
lying quiet and still
b
: of, relating to, or being an ordinary photograph rather than a motion picture
2
: uttering no sound : quiet
3
a
b
: free from noise or commotion : peaceful
stillness noun

still

2 of 5 verb
1
a
: to make quiet : calm
still their fears
b
: to put to an end : settle
2
: to make or become motionless or silent : quiet

still

3 of 5 adverb
1
: without motion
sit still
2
: up to this or that time
still lives there
while it's still hot
3
: in spite of that : nevertheless
those who take care can still make mistakes
4
a
: even entry 3 sense 4
a still more difficult problem
b
: beyond this : in addition, yet
won still another tournament

still

4 of 5 noun
1
2
: a still photograph

still

5 of 5 noun
1
2
: a device used in distillation
Etymology

Adjective

Old English stille "not moving"

Noun

from earlier still (verb) "to distill," from Middle English stillen, a shortened form of distillen "to distill"

Biographical Definition

Still

biographical name

Andrew Taylor 1828–1917 American founder of osteopathy

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