silence 1 of 2

noun

ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
Definition of silencenext
1
as in stillness
incapacity for or restraint from speaking the violinist expects complete silence from the audience during his concerts

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2
as in quiet
the near or complete absence of sound the silence of the garden was refreshing after the din of the party inside

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3
as in obscurity
the quality or state of being mostly or completely unknown the book eventually vanished into the silence that awaits best sellers whose time has past

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silence

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to quiet
to stop the noise or speech of the instructor quickly silenced anyone who tried to interrupt we need to have a repairman come and silence that door alarm

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2
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force brutally silenced all political dissent in the country

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of silence
Noun
This summer, Duncan suggested Clark bore some responsibility for a wildly inappropriate USA Today column in which the author invoked Emmett Till while warning that Clark's silence in the face of online criticism could endanger black women. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026 The comments stood in stark relief to his silence on Proposition 45, perhaps the most significant CEQA reform effort on the table yet. — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
Mookie Betts drove a fly ball to the warning track, momentarily silencing the crowd, until Mitchell closed his glove around it. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Meta has aggressively moved to silence another recent whistleblower, former public policy director Sarah Wynn-Williams, taking legal action to stop her from promoting her memoir about her time at the company, Careless People. — Lauren Feiner, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for silence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silence
  1. stillness
  2. quiet
  3. obscurity
  4. shush
  5. suppress
  6. speechlessness
  7. quietness
  8. oblivion
Noun
  • Why can’t the body content itself with stillness, leavened, perhaps, by the fluttering of fingers over a keyboard or the occasional arcing turn of a page?
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • On the best of days a dank stillness would have encased the adobe chamber and those confined within.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stillness
Noun
  • After co-headlining with Charli xcx at the peak of Brat Summer, Sivan was struck by his post-show emotional crash, when the roar of stadiums gave way to the quiet of being totally on his own.
    — Harry Tafoya, Pitchfork, 14 Oct. 2026
  • An uneasy quiet took over the boat as customers waited for another catch.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of quiet
Noun
  • The lower-register instruments in this track are also fairly mellow in the recording, and the subtle bass in the headphones almost pushes them into obscurity, further piling everything into the cacophonous middle.
    — Mark Knapp, PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The Centenaire by Monte Carlo Automotive (MCA), though, is a benchmark in both rarity and obscurity.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscurity
Verb
  • Bass’ barrages got to Raman more than a few times, leading her to talk over the NBC and Telemundo moderators or even shush them.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • They were repeatedly shushed instead as the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3) fell to 13-10 in their marquee event after failing to keep pace with a USC offense that averaged nearly eight yards per play through the first three quarters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of shush
Verb
  • Optional filters can be slotted in each module (when available) to suppress city lighting, adjust for solar imagery, and cater for different wavelengths.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But Uthmeier contends an overly broad reading of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause has been twisted into a tool to suppress Christians and other believers.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Noun
  • There is no better illustration of speechlessness being deployed as a weapon, forcing the loquacious, as if at gunpoint, to fill the void with words.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Both men regularly bash Trump during their monologues, but the president’s tirade against the Pope left them puzzled to the point of near-speechlessness.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of speechlessness
Noun
  • Ultimately, Vervoordt’s intervention is an exercise in quietness and patience.
    — Michael James Gardner, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2026
  • These motors make a difference in efficiency and quietness levels.
    — Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 19 July 2026
Definition of quietness
Noun
  • Today’s problem is hyperscalers spending themselves into oblivion, spreading inflation well beyond Silicon Valley and obscuring problems nearly everywhere else.
    — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026
  • How to talk about an episode that takes us to the brink of oblivion — Cal, what the hell, man?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of oblivion

Browse Nearby Words

silages
silence
silenced
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Cite this Entry

“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silence. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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