silence

[sahy-luhns]

noun

1. absence of any sound or noise; stillness.

2. the state or fact of being silent; muteness.

3. absence or omission of mention, comment, or expressed concern.

   the conspicuous silence of our newspapers on local graft.

4. the state of being forgotten; oblivion.

   in the news again after years of silence.

5. concealment; secrecy.

verb (used with object)

silenced, silencing 

1. to put or bring to silence; still.

   Synonyms: gag, muzzle, quell, hush

2. to put (doubts, fears, etc.) to rest; quiet.

3. Military.,  to still (enemy guns), as by more effective fire.

interjection

1. be silent! “Silence!” the teacher shouted.

silence

/ ˈsaɪləns /

noun

1. the state or quality of being silent

2. the absence of sound or noise; stillness

3. refusal or failure to speak, communicate, etc, when expected

   his silence on the subject of their promotion was alarming

4. a period of time without noise

5. oblivion or obscurity

verb

1. to bring to silence

2. to put a stop to; extinguish

   to silence all complaint

Other Word Forms

• oversilence noun
• unsilenced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of silence¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English (noun), from Old French, from Latin silentium, derivative of silēre “to be quiet”; silent

Word History and Origins

Origin of silence¹

C13: via Old French from Latin silēntium, from silēre to be quiet. See _silent

Example Sentences

Shedding allies, the LGBTQ+ coalition teeters on the tail of this recent Quiet Pride, with public institutions that have been loudly supportive in the recent past intimidated into whispers, or all-out silence.

From Salon

Born in Colombia and raised in Norway, Braekhus spent her career breaking down barriers - from fighting misogyny in the gym to silencing critics on her way to becoming the undisputed queen of the sport.

From BBC

The tense silence will be the first of several battles of will between the two men, neither willing to yield.

From Los Angeles Times

“We’ve worked long hours, faced disrespect, and had no voice, just silence on the other end of the app.”

From Los Angeles Times

"And it's as if the ground opened up underneath my feet. Her silence spoke volumes. It marked a point of no-return."

From BBC

Related Words

• cut off 
• gag 
• muffle 
• mute 
• muzzle 
• quash 
• quell 
• squelch 
• stifle 
• subdue 
• suppress