silence

[ sahy-luhns ]

/ ˈsaɪ ləns /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silence ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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.

verb (used with object), si·lenced, si·lenc·ing.

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.

interjection

be silent! “Silence!” the teacher shouted.

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Origin of silence

1175–1225; Middle English (noun) < Old French < Latin silentium. See silent, -ence

SYNONYMS FOR silence

6 hush, quell, muzzle, gag.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR silence ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM silence

o·ver·si·lence, nounun·si·lenced, adjective

Words nearby silence

silastic, silbury hill, sild, sildenafil citrate, sile, silence, silence is golden, silenced, silencer, silene, silenos

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for silenced

When I think of the many rape victims who never come forward, who have been silenced in the same fashion, I am saddened.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bowman did not immediately report to the police because she felt as though she would be re-victimized and silenced.
The Bill Cosby Controversy Stages of Grief|Amy Zimmerman|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The assault on Clinton backfired, but it silenced her for much of the fall campaign.
Everyone Sees the Hillary They Want to See|Eleanor Clift|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Last month, the Kremlin silenced many of the last remaining critical news outlets in the country.
Snowden’s Camp: Staged Putin Q&A Was a Screw-Up|Noah Shachtman|April 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“Impossible,” began the other, but was silenced by a sort of bark from Mr. Wilde.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Hillary is inclined to talk—" began Lucas, but was silenced by a ferocious stamp of Frank's boot.
The Prodigal Father|J. Storer Clouston
The empire did not encourage literature, it silenced philosophy, and oppressed the talent that did not glorify itself.
The Women of the French Salons|Amelia Gere Mason
Water could only have silenced the guns for five minutes, he said.
With the Allies to Pekin|George Alfred Henty
Lady Arthur is silenced, for she has not the slightest idea what a monologist is.
A House-Party|Ouida
What is it, this indistinct knocking, this voice, which though it can be stilled can never be silenced?
The Potter and the Clay|Arthur F. Winnington Ingram

British Dictionary definitions for silenced (1 of 2)

silenced

/ (ˈsaɪlənst) /

adjective

(of a clergyman) forbidden to preach or perform his clerical functionsa silenced priest

British Dictionary definitions for silenced (2 of 2)

silence

/ (ˈsaɪləns) /

noun

the state or quality of being silent

the absence of sound or noise; stillness

refusal or failure to speak, communicate, etc, when expectedhis silence on the subject of their promotion was alarming

a period of time without noise

oblivion or obscurity

verb (tr)

to bring to silence

to put a stop to; extinguishto silence all complaint

Word Origin for silence

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

Collins 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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silence

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