Phrase guide

calm before the storm

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A period of peace before a disturbance or crisis; an unnatural or false calm before a storm.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

Examples

  • The meeting may be peaceful now, but this is only the calm before the storm.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lull before the storm

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

35 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: الْهُدُوء الَّذِي يَسْبِق الْعَاصِفَةَ (al-hudūʔ allaḏī yasbiq al-ʕāṣifata) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Belarusian: заці́шша пе́рад бу́рай (zacíšša pjérad búraj) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Bulgarian: зати́шие пред бу́ря (zatíšie pred búrja) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 暴風雨前的平靜 /暴风雨前的平静 (bàofēngyǔ qián de píngjìng) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Czech: ticho před bouří — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Danish: stilhed før stormen — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Dutch: stilte voor de storm — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Estonian: vaikus enne tormi — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Finnish: tyyni myrskyn edellä — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • French: calme avant la tempête — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • German: Ruhe vor dem Sturm — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Greek: η νηνεμία πριν την καταιγίδα (i ninemía prin tin kataigída) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Hebrew: השקט שלפני הסערה (hashéket shelifnéy haseará) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Hindi: तूफ़ान के पहले की शांति (tūfān ke pahle kī śānti) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Hungarian: vihar előtti csend — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Icelandic: lognið á undan storminum — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Irish: cothú na doininne — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Irish: ciúnas roimh an doineann — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Italian: quiete prima della tempesta — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Japanese: 嵐の前の静けさ (arashi no mae no shizukesa) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Norwegian Bokmål: stille før stormen — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Polish: cisza przed burzą — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Portuguese: calmaria antes da tempestade — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Russian: зати́шье пе́ред бу́рей (zatíšʹje péred búrej) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: за́тӣшје пре̏д буру — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Serbo-Croatian: zátīšje prȅd buru — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Slovak: ticho pred búrkou — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Spanish: calma que precede a la tormenta — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Spanish: calma antes de la tormenta — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Swedish: lugnet före stormen — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Tagalog: nagbabadyang unos — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Turkish: fırtına öncesi sessizlik — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Ukrainian: зати́шшя пе́ред бу́рею (zatýššja péred búreju) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Ukrainian: передгро́ззя (peredhrózzja) — peace before a disturbance or crisis
  • Vietnamese: bình yên trước bão — peace before a disturbance or crisis