muffle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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muffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
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.
-
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.
-
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
-
something that muffles
-
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
-
are mufflingprogressive
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is mufflingprogressive
-
have been mufflingperfect progressive
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has been mufflingperfect progressive
Past
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muffledsimple
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had muffledperfect
-
was mufflingprogressive
-
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:
More prosperity: Active noise cancellation has gotten good enough to muffle airplane noise and it’s almost there for human voices in offices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 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
The change, on the heels of a risk assessment done by the government, would likely muffle access to information showing changes in public sentiment toward the city.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2023
They're so, so loud that it doesn't matter where you turn it on or try to muffle it, it's just super loud.
From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2023
I pulled up his number, called him right away—and then I burrowed under my covers, pulling the sheet up over my head to help muffle my voice.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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
And again, they can detect this even if Zoom muffles a user’s audio.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2023
Hannah screams for a half second but quickly muffles it with her own hand.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
One caveat: So much former junk-bond issuance has migrated to private credit that the signal may now be more muffled.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Collins stood outside for several agonizing minutes, hearing their muffled voices.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
A streak across the sky, then a muffled blast.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Day was dedicated to the bit, making Hernandez crack with muffled laughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Dimly, he could hear the watchers shouting encouragement to Hord, but their voices were muffled, as if he were underwater.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
"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
In front of Eirik Johnson’s photo diptychs, you wonder: Does snow — a thick, muffling blanket devoid of color — obscure or reveal?
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 20, 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
Wearing hats and headscarves compromised her hearing further, however, due to the fabric muffling her hearing aids.
From BBC ● May 15, 2022
He went on to say a good deal more, but it seemed to Turner that a muffling silence had descended on the bright late morning scene.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
