muffle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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muffles,
present (3rd person singular)
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muffled,
past participle, past
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muffling
present participle
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to wrap with something to deaden or prevent sound.
to muffle drums.
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to deaden (sound) by wrappings or other means.
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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.
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to wrap (oneself) in a garment or other covering.
muffled in silk.
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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.
noun
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something that muffles.
-
muffled sound.
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an oven or arched chamber in a furnace or kiln, used for heating substances without direct contact with the fire.
noun
verb
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(often foll by up) to wrap up (the head) in a scarf, cloak, etc, esp for warmth
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to deaden (a sound or noise), esp by wrapping
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to prevent (the expression of something) by (someone)
noun
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something that muffles
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a kiln with an inner chamber for firing porcelain, enamel, etc, at a low temperature
noun
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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mufflesimple
-
mufflessimple
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have muffledperfect
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has muffledperfect
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am mufflingprogressive
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are mufflingprogressive
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is mufflingprogressive
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have been mufflingperfect progressive
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has been mufflingperfect progressive
Past
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muffledsimple
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had muffledperfect
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was mufflingprogressive
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were mufflingprogressive
-
had been mufflingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing muffle
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Long Way Down
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"Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
State said China had used a technique known as decoupling to muffle the register and evade detection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026
I watched as the woman cuffed the phone receiver, attempting, ironically, to muffle the private information she was giving to a 13-year-old.
From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2023
There were also hundreds of people in the building, others in the area and cars in the parking lot that would muffle and deflect sounds.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
How do we filter those so that we're getting the good sensory experiences and somehow put a muzzle muffle on ones that give us stress and anxiety?
From Salon ● May 4, 2023
Across the campus a clock struck the quarter hour and something inside me seemed to muffle its sound.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
Mr. Orhan offsets the novel’s magical realism with plainspoken prose that muffles Dilara’s increasingly volatile desires.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
The visible clutter sets off a contagious, slightly embarrassed giggle, which she muffles with her hands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025
The design of hearing aids muffles or blocks almost all of the natural unamplified sounds that stream into your ear canal.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2024
Gestational diabetes most commonly occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy when a woman’s body naturally muffles insulin signals, sparking labor difficulties for the woman and long-term afflictions for a newborn baby.
From Washington Times ● May 31, 2023
This muffles what the boys are saying out loud—because I can hear that, too, of course—but nothing stops me from hearing their thoughts.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
A streak across the sky, then a muffled blast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Full of sorrow and restraint, the opening verses are entombed by muffled synths before Liene explodes into an operatic wail of catharsis in the dying moments.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
Day was dedicated to the bit, making Hernandez crack with muffled laughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
On the Alto K98M, that click-clackiness is muffled by a rubbery internal gasket surrounding the keys.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025
Peach buried his face in the lavender pillow and said, in a muffled voice, “I’m so sorry, Comfort. This is all my fault.”
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
"But a quantum computer acts like noise-canceling headphones that compare combinations of answers, amplifying the right ones while muffling the wrong ones."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2026
The strings’ opening melody in the Rachmaninoff had Romantic grandeur and beguiling translucence, blanketing but not muffling the piano’s arpeggios with gauzy tone.
From New York Times ● Apr. 14, 2024
Giant arborvitae trees flank Maude’s Garden on Seattle’s First Hill, muffling the hum of city traffic for this tiny therapeutic oasis.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
Capturing sound, however, required cameras with noisy motors and muffling “blimps” around their bodies, making them unwieldy and relegating them to their former, static positioning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 27, 2022
Her mother pulled her swiftly forward, muffling her mouth against her breast.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
