silence
absence of any sound or noise; stillness.
the state or fact of being silent; muteness.
absence or omission of mention, comment, or expressed concern: the conspicuous silence of our newspapers on local graft.
the state of being forgotten; oblivion: in the news again after years of silence.
concealment; secrecy.
to put or bring to silence; still.
to put (doubts, fears, etc.) to rest; quiet.
Military. to still (enemy guns), as by more effective fire.
be silent! “Silence!” the teacher shouted.
Origin of silence
1Other words for silence
Other words from silence
- o·ver·si·lence, noun
- un·si·lenced, adjective
Words Nearby silence
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use silence in a sentence
The silence observed at the GOP convention is familiar to those of us who contended for years with Republican parents and relatives.
In 2014, NSO had been bought for around $100 million by the American private equity firm Francisco Partners, which had a strict no-press policy that Hulio says led to a harmful culture of silence.
The man who built a spyware empire says it’s time to come out of the shadows | Bobbie Johnson | August 19, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewLast week, I wrote about young activists in North County motivated to protest not only George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis but their own communities’ history of silence on racial justice issues and police brutality.
North County Report: An Activist on His Agenda for North County and Beyond | Kayla Jimenez | June 24, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoJust by having that realm of silence and the room to think, that’s when the ideas appear.
Before working on spacecraft, this engineer overcame self-doubt | Carolyn Wilke | April 7, 2020 | Science News For StudentsFelix explained to PEOPLE that she was first inspired to share her story after two of her former Nike teammates, Olympic runners Alysia Montaño and Kara Goucher, broke their silence on the brand’s treatment of their pregnant female athletes.
Olympian Allyson Felix Breaks Usain Bolt's Record—10 Months After Emergency C-Section | Health | October 3, 2019 | Health
They know they will face either a swift backlash or deafening silence.
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTIf so, he has his silence -- on top of poor judgment -- to blame.
Jay is hard to empathize with and his silence suggests that, yeah, something is up.
The Deal With Serial’s Jay? He’s Pissed Off, Mucks Up Our Timeline | Emily Shire | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Do not use complaints, courts and lawyers to beat and to silence the enemy,” the NOA activists wrote.
The families announced along with it that they had entered a “phase of silence” surrounding the details of the new deal.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda | Ruth Michaelson | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe hum of earnest or glad voices here contrasted strongly with silence and meditation there.
Glances at Europe | Horace GreeleyJanet's silence impressed Hilda: it was not merely strange--it was formidable: it affected the whole day.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettWhen he had finished, she took them from his hand, and turning them round in agitated silence, examined their seals and writing.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane PorterOf silence before them that salute thee: of looking upon a harlot: and of turning away thy face from thy kinsman.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThere was a deep silence throughout the whole bivouac; some were sleeping, and those who watched were in no humour for idle chat.
British Dictionary definitions for silence
/ (ˈsaɪləns) /
the state or quality of being silent
the absence of sound or noise; stillness
refusal or failure to speak, communicate, etc, when expected: his silence on the subject of their promotion was alarming
a period of time without noise
oblivion or obscurity
to bring to silence
to put a stop to; extinguish: to silence all complaint
Origin of silence
1Collins 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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