English idiom

the calm before the storm

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

a quiet period immediately before trouble, intense activity, or chaos

Why this phrase?

Weather often grows eerily still just before a big storm.

Example

“The empty office on Sunday was the calm before the storm of launch week.”

Dictionary details

Alternate forms

calm before the storm

Component words

calm storm

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

perfect storm

a rare combination of bad circumstances that produces a disaster

weather the storm

survive a difficult period without suffering lasting damage

bad news

an unpleasant piece of information; (informal) a person or thing likely to cause trouble

keep your fingers crossed

To hope strongly that something good will happen.

red flag

a warning sign that something is wrong

the writing on the wall

clear and unmistakable signs that failure or disaster is coming

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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