mute
silent; refraining from speech or utterance.
not emitting or having sound of any kind.
incapable of speech (offensive when applied to humans): Animals are mute and are only able to speak in fairy tales and fables.
(of letters) silent; not pronounced: The mute “e” in the word “dime” makes the preceding vowel long, so it is not pronounced like “dim.”
Law. (of a person who has been arraigned) making no plea or giving an irrelevant response when arraigned, or refusing to stand trial (used chiefly in the phrase to stand mute).
Fox Hunting. (of a hound) hunting a line without giving tongue or cry.
Offensive. a person incapable of speech.
an actor whose part is confined to dumb show.
Law. a person who stands mute when arraigned.
Also called sordino . a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.
Phonetics. (especially in older use) stop (def. 34b).
British Obsolete. a hired mourner at a funeral; a professional mourner.
to deaden or muffle the sound of: The music was a little muted by distance and the trees.
to turn off (a microphone, a speaker, or audio):During the commercials, they muted the TV and discussed the game.Check the mic icon to make sure you're not muted.
to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color.
to soften or subdue; moderate: His happiness about returning to the United States was muted by his concern for the other hostages.
Origin of mute
1usage note For mute
Opposites for mute
Other words from mute
- mute·ly, adverb
- mute·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with mute
- moot, mute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use mute in a sentence
From that, we created this band The Mutes, and we played a few shows.
Miles Teller’s Movie Star Moment: From the Brink of Death to ‘Whiplash’ | Marlow Stern | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe past has come down to us cloaked and shrouded, and attended by its decorous retinue of mutes and bearers.
A Cursory History of Swearing | Julian SharmanStill, it might be a good plan to sack all the servants before rationing comes in, and engage deaf-mutes.
The Title | Arnold BennettThey stepped aside for a good while, and then hied them thence, and when they returned the mutes and maidens had all gone.
The Fourth Estate, vol. 2 | Armando Palacio ValdsIndeed, Helga and I sat like mutes at that table; but the Captain talked abundantly, almost wholly addressing himself to the girl.
My Danish Sweetheart, Volume 3 of 3 | William Clark Russell
But the number so favored is a small percentage of the great body of deaf-mutes whom we are called upon to educate.
British Dictionary definitions for mute (1 of 2)
/ (mjuːt) /
not giving out sound or speech; silent
unable to speak; dumb
unspoken or unexpressed: mute dislike
law (of a person arraigned on indictment) refusing to answer a charge
phonetics another word for plosive
(of a letter in a word) silent
a person who is unable to speak
law a person who refuses to plead when arraigned on indictment for an offence
any of various devices used to soften the tone of stringed or brass instruments
phonetics a plosive consonant; stop
a silent letter
an actor in a dumb show
a hired mourner at a funeral
to reduce the volume of (a musical instrument) by means of a mute, soft pedal, etc
to subdue the strength of (a colour, tone, lighting, etc)
Origin of mute
1usage For mute
Derived forms of mute
- mutely, adverb
- muteness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for mute (2 of 2)
/ (mjuːt) archaic /
(of birds) to discharge (faeces)
birds' faeces
Origin of mute
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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