1 A2 informal
To relax and stop feeling stressed, anxious, or tense.
"After the busy work week, all I wanted to do was chill out on the sofa."
“
Just chill out and have a good time.
inseparable
chill out
A2 informal intransitive
To relax, become calm, or stop being stressed or angry.
In plain English
Calm down and take it easy — stop being so stressed, worried, or angry.
What does "chill out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic informal
To stop being angry or overreacting; to calm down emotionally.
"Chill out — it was just a joke, nobody meant any harm."
“
Chill out, man. It's not that serious.
inseparable
3 A2 informal
To spend time relaxing and doing nothing in particular, often with others.
"We didn't make any plans — we just chilled out at Marcus's place all afternoon."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To cool something down by temperature — the metaphor extends to 'cooling' one's emotions or energy.
Actually means
Calm down and take it easy — stop being so stressed, worried, or angry.
Usage tip
Extremely common in everyday spoken English worldwide. Can be used as an imperative ('Chill out!') or descriptively ('We just chilled out at home'). In some contexts simply means hanging out without any strong emotion. Also shortened to just 'chill.'
Words that pair with "chill out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
weekend sofa friends music home evening
How to conjugate "chill out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
chill out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
chills out
he/she/it
Past simple
chilled out
yesterday
Past participle
chilled out
have + pp
-ing form
chilling out
continuous
Hear "chill out" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "chill out" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "chill out"
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Keep exploring
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