# sit down

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/sit-down
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to take a seat

phrasal verb · CEFR A1

to move from standing to sitting on a chair, the ground, or another surface.

For teachers: to assume a sitting position from a standing one. The verb is intransitive in this primary sense.

- Please sit down and make yourself comfortable while I make some tea.
- The exhausted hikers finally reached the summit and sat down on the jagged rocks to catch their breath and admire the valley below.

### 2. to meet for discussion

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to meet with someone to have a serious talk or to negotiate.

For teachers: to meet formally or deliberately for the purpose of discussion, negotiation, or interrogation.

- The two managers need to sit down and resolve their differences.
- The union leaders agreed to sit down with the board of directors to discuss the new contract terms before the strike deadline.

### 3. to help someone sit

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to help or tell someone else to sit in a chair.

For teachers: to cause someone to be seated; functions transitively and often reflexively.

- The nurse helped the patient sit down in the wheelchair.
- She sat the crying child down on the sofa and tried to explain why they couldn't go to the park today.

### 4. to live or stay

phrasal verb · CEFR C2 · Dialect

to live or stay in a specific place for a while.

For teachers: to take up residence or stay at a location. Often associated with specific regional dialects or historical settlement contexts.

- They decided to sit down in the valley where the water was clean.
- Historical records suggest the group intended to sit down near the river, but the harsh winter forced them further south.

## Examples

- Please sit down and wait here.
- After a long walk, it felt good to sit down and rest my feet.
- The negotiators agreed to sit down together, hoping to finally resolve the long-standing dispute through direct dialogue.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: Contrast 'sit down' (the action of sitting) with 'be sitting' (the state of being seated) using simple commands and descriptions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.