muffle

¹ American  

[muhf-uhl] / ˈmʌf əl /

verb (used with object)

muffles, present (3rd person singular) muffled, past participle, past muffling present participle

1. to wrap with something to deaden or prevent sound.

   to muffle drums.

2. to deaden (sound) by wrappings or other means.

3. to wrap or envelop in a cloak, shawl, coat, etc., especially to keep warm or protect the face and neck (often followed byup ).

   Muffle up the children before they go out.

4. to wrap (oneself) in a garment or other covering.

   muffled in silk.

5. to alter temporarily the profile of (a plaster mold) in order to run a base coat of plaster that will later be covered by a finish coat having the true profile.

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noun

1. something that muffles.

2. muffled sound.

3. an oven or arched chamber in a furnace or kiln, used for heating substances without direct contact with the fire.

muffle ² American  

[muhf-uhl] / ˈmʌf əl /

noun

1. the thick, bare part of the upper lip and nose of ruminants and rodents.

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muffle ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌfəl /

verb

1. (often foll by up) to wrap up (the head) in a scarf, cloak, etc, esp for warmth

2. to deaden (a sound or noise), esp by wrapping

3. to prevent (the expression of something) by (someone)

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noun

1. something that muffles

2. a kiln with an inner chamber for firing porcelain, enamel, etc, at a low temperature

muffle ² British  

/ ˈmʌfəl /

noun

1. the fleshy hairless part of the upper lip and nose in ruminants and some rodents

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• muffling
  present
• muffled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• muffle
  simple
• muffles
  simple
• have muffled
  perfect
• has muffled
  perfect
• are muffling
  progressive
• am muffling
  progressive
• is muffling
  progressive
• have been muffling
  perfect progressive
• has been muffling
  perfect progressive

Past

• muffled
  simple
• had muffled
  perfect
• was muffling
  progressive
• were muffling
  progressive
• had been muffling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will muffle
  simple
• will have muffled
  perfect
• will be muffling
  progressive
• will have been muffling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of muffle¹

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English muffelen “to veil, cover”; probably a derivative of Old French moufle “mitten”; see also muff

Origin of muffle²

First recorded in 1600–10; from Middle French mufle “muzzle, snout,” probably blend of moufle “chubby face” and museau muzzle

Explanation

To muffle is to quiet a sound, usually by wrapping it with something. If you try to speak with a scarf over your mouth, your voice will be muffled. When a hitman puts a silencer on a gun, he's muffling the sound of gunshots, since muffling makes things quieter. Usually, muffling involves wrapping something around or putting something over a noisy thing. Muffling dampens, tones down, deadens, and dulls. Also, if you hold down your emotions and don't express them, you're muffling them. Muffling keeps things quiet.

Example Sentences

Last week at NeoCon, the commercial interiors fair in Chicago, Air Aroma introduced an adorable ottoman called the Muffle chair.

From New York Times • Jun. 18, 2014

Muffle Brandon, the tall, elegant social secretary, seeks to give each formal dinner "a personality and an ethos of its own."

From Time Magazine Archive

Muffle your architectural angles in foliage and bloom.

From The Amateur Garden by Cable, George Washington

Muffle furnaces are suitable for fine ores which are liable to decrepitate or sinter.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 3 "Convention" to "Copyright" by Various

That I may loathe her not o'ermuch; and to Muffle my sword from him that now she weds.

From Yolanda of Cyprus by Rice, Cale Young

Related Words

• dampen
• deaden
• envelop
• hush
• mute
• muzzle
• soft pedal
• squelch
• stifle
• subdue
• tone down