silence
noun
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Definition of silence
(Entry 1 of 2)
silence
verbDefinition of silence (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for silence
Synonyms: Noun
dumbness, muteness, speechlessness, stillness
Synonyms: Verb
dumb, extinguish, hush, mute, quell, quiet, quieten [chiefly British], settle, shush, shut up, squelch, still
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Examples of silence in a Sentence
Noun
I find it hard to sleep unless there is complete silence. The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. We sat there in dead silence. My sister's revelation was met with stunned silence. The professor asked for silence. There was an awkward silence after he confessed his love for her. A long silence followed her reply. We must break 50 years of silence on issues like the government's involvement in assassination and espionage. I will not be intimidated into silence. She finally ended her silence and spoke to the media about what happened.Verb
My sister's revelation silenced everyone around the table. Disconnecting the battery will silence the alarm. The mayor tried to silence his critics. I will not be silenced! It's obvious that the purpose of this law is to silence dissent.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Drive across the salty marsh of northern Rakhine, and the silence is overwhelming. — New York Times, "Massacred at Home, in Misery Abroad, 730,000 Rohingya Are Mired in Hopelessness," 22 Aug. 2019 No meetings, no open conversations—an entire workday of silence. — Jonas Downey, Quartz at Work, "How my colleagues and I stay sane in our open office," 22 Aug. 2019 After nearly a minute of silence, Tony spoke quietly. — Chris Rush, Harper's magazine, "Love and Acid," 19 Aug. 2019 The Texans' public relations staff placed a framed photograph of Edison and white flowers in the front row of the press box and held a moment of silence. — Aaron Wilson, Houston Chronicle, "Texans honor memory of Max Edison," 17 Aug. 2019 Attendees marked the news of the death with a moment of silence. — Kirk Mitchell, The Denver Post, "Denver experiences its first reported fatal scooter crash," 12 Aug. 2019 In fact, silence is essential because this is a game guided by sound. — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Bryce Weiler can't see, but his vision for helping disabled people play sports is limitless," 11 Aug. 2019 There’s no clear answer to the question of balance, of how much information to disseminate, of when silence is no longer strategic. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "The Wrong Way to Talk About a Shooter's Manifesto," 4 Aug. 2019 Trump’s silence is the price of advancing trade talks. — Nicholas Frankovich, National Review, "The Unmade Case against China," 16 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The people’s opinion can be neglected and strong arms be deployed to silence us. — The Economist, "Hong Kong “is a battle for survival and for freedom”," 21 Aug. 2019 Conspiracy-minded people began to wonder whether Epstein had been murdered by accomplices to silence him. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "The Gall of Ghislaine Maxwell," 16 Aug. 2019 Chrissie Carnell Bixler, Marie Riales and two Jane Does on Wednesday filed a complaint in Los Angeles County Superior Court claiming the defendants harassed them and their families in an effort to silence and intimidate them. — Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, "Danny Masterson, Church of Scientology Sued for Stalking, Conspiracy to Cover Up Sexual Assaults," 15 Aug. 2019 Conservatives face many challenges today in a society eager to silence them. — Christopher Tremoglie, National Review, "Conservatives Need Courage," 12 Aug. 2019 That power will be used by those who wish to silence their political enemies, including governments and big companies around the world. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "When Limiting Online Speech to Curb Violence, We Should Be Careful," 9 Aug. 2019 Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has notoriously called land and environmental activists communist sympathizers and terrorists in an effort to silence them. — Amy Gunia, Time, "American Volunteer Branded 'Enemy of State' and Shot Outside His Home in the Philippines," 8 Aug. 2019 Numerous victims told the Free Press the resorts ignored or downplayed their fears, discouraged them from going to the police, and in some cases silenced them with free travel in exchange for them signing non-disclosure agreements. — Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, "State Department yanks data on U.S. tourists harmed in Jamaica," 23 July 2019 Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "The Time 100 List Includes Both Christine Blasey Ford and Brett Kavanaugh—and People Have Thoughts," 17 Apr. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'silence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for silence
silence
noun
English Language Learners Definition of silence
(Entry 1 of 2)
silence
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of silence (Entry 2 of 2)