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.
-
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
-
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:
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
When neighbors there complained about the loud noise from computer cooling fans at the bitcoin mining operation, he gave an interview to the Colorado Springs Independent, promising to plant pine trees to muffle the sound.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 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
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
It dampens our desires and muffles our joy.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2021
The noise around me muffles, and the image in my mind of the five thousand dollars starts to waver until it finally blurs into something I no longer recognize.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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
Several muffled booms were heard in the distance.
From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026
Songs like “Idk” and “Abrir Monte” simulate the experience of being submerged as a muffled, yet pounding bass line takes charge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2025
“Please!” says Max’s voice, muffled under the bed.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
"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
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
Seated on his sofa in a button-down shirt, worn Levi’s and blue-rimmed round glasses, Duncan offers me a chair and keeps distractions at bay, at one point muffling his ringing cellphone with a throw pillow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2023
I slept next to Mother’s body, muffling my sobs so as not to scare Jonas.
From "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
