Calm Before the Storm: Definition, Origin & Useful Examples in English

Calm Before the Storm Meaning! Learn the definition, origin of the common idiom “calm before the storm” with useful example sentences and ESL printable infographic.

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Calm Before the Storm Meaning

What Does “Calm Before the Storm” Mean?

This common idiom “(the) calm before the storm” indicates the peaceful, quiet time before something chaotic happens, it could be a big argument, problem or difficulty.

Origins

The expression ‘calm before the storm’ originates from a weather phenomenon, that is, sometimes there is a peaceful time that comes shortly before a storm hits.

Imagine that you spent an afternoon in the backyard, there are dark clouds in the sky, but the notable thing is how tranquil everything feels. After a few minutes, you feel a change in the air, the wind suddenly picks up and buckets of rain start to fall and a hefty storm has arrived. This is a situation for the phrase “the calm before the storm”.

Example Sentences

The meeting may be peaceful now, but this is only the calm before the storm.
Charity should have recognised it as the calm before the storm, but she didn’t.
I like to get everything done before the guests arrive and relax for a moment in the calm before the storm.
We can not look back at the age of Johnson without sensing that it represents a period of calm before the storm.

Synonym of “Calm Before the Storm”

This phrase is also called “Lull before the storm”.

Definition:

A period of unusual tranquility or stability that seems likely to presage difficult times.

For examples:

Things seem quiet in the office right now, but this is just the lull before the storm.
There was a feeling that something was in the air, that it was the lull before the storm.
It is expected that we could have up to 100 cases in the first year, and we are probably approaching the end of the lull before the storm.