si·lence
ˈsī-lən(t)s 
silenced; silencing
1
: to compel or reduce to silence : still
silenced the crowd
2
: suppress
silence dissent
3
: to cause to cease hostile firing or criticism
silence the opposition
4
genetics
: to block the genetic expression of
RNA interference is a natural phenomenon. When a cell senses a double strand of RNA, it acts to silence any genes with the corresponding sequence of bases.—
Andrew Pollack
Andrew PollackSynonyms
Examples of silence in a Sentence
Noun
I find it hard to sleep unless there is complete silence.
The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
We sat there in dead silence.
My sister's revelation was met with stunned silence.
The professor asked for silence.
There was an awkward silence after he confessed his love for her.
A long silence followed her reply.
We must break 50 years of silence on issues like the government's involvement in assassination and espionage.
I will not be intimidated into silence.
She finally ended her silence and spoke to the media about what happened.
Verb
My sister's revelation silenced everyone around the table.
Disconnecting the battery will silence the alarm.
The mayor tried to silence his critics.
I will not be silenced!
It's obvious that the purpose of this law is to silence dissent.
Recent Examples on the WebDanielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
For Carrie Luft, the courtroom became a place to pay homage to a friend whose absence has left an unbearable silence.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Some have been intimidated into silence by the state, rights groups have said.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The kite’s owner, 8-year-old Teddy Oh, watched in silence as hundreds of kites sailed through the air above him.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Pollini also noted the importance of silence to his uncle.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The children begin class by observing a minute of silence for those who have died defending Ukraine and singing the national anthem.
—Claire Harbage, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
Poker teaches interpersonal lessons, too: the power of observation and the value of silence.
—Julia Rafal-Baer, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani denies involvement in sports betting scandal Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani painted a picture of betrayal by his former interpreter, breaking his silence on a sports betting scandal that has gripped Major League Baseball since last week.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Tom Frieden, STAT, 11 Apr. 2024
With so many voices silenced, might buying a ticket be a quiet act of rebellion?
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The government's crackdown on certain musical tempos would silence most modern music genres.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The Israel Defense Forces are silencing those who are driven by a duty to report the facts.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Rising militarism has silenced efforts at forging peaceful coexistence with Palestinians.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Whatever the truth of it, Petco Park silenced the whispers.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
The new hate crime law has also faced criticism over its impact on freedom of speech and concerns that it could be used to silence some views, including from those who advocate for women-only spaces.
—Staff and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Overcoming this can mean silencing self-doubt and challenging the limiting beliefs that are imposed by society and, at times, by ourselves.
—Angela Quach, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Someone notes the rare silence that has befallen the kitchen — this gumbo is good.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
For Carrie Luft, the courtroom became a place to pay homage to a friend whose absence has left an unbearable silence.
—Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2024
Some have been intimidated into silence by the state, rights groups have said.
—Nilo Tabrizy, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
The kite’s owner, 8-year-old Teddy Oh, watched in silence as hundreds of kites sailed through the air above him.
—Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
Pollini also noted the importance of silence to his uncle.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The children begin class by observing a minute of silence for those who have died defending Ukraine and singing the national anthem.
—Claire Harbage, NPR, 27 Mar. 2024
Poker teaches interpersonal lessons, too: the power of observation and the value of silence.
—Julia Rafal-Baer, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
Shohei Ohtani denies involvement in sports betting scandal Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani painted a picture of betrayal by his former interpreter, breaking his silence on a sports betting scandal that has gripped Major League Baseball since last week.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 26 Mar. 2024
Verb
Then the White House silenced her, and the CDC was silenced for the remainder of 2020.
—Tom Frieden, STAT, 11 Apr. 2024
With so many voices silenced, might buying a ticket be a quiet act of rebellion?
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
The government's crackdown on certain musical tempos would silence most modern music genres.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2024
The Israel Defense Forces are silencing those who are driven by a duty to report the facts.
—NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Rising militarism has silenced efforts at forging peaceful coexistence with Palestinians.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Apr. 2024
Whatever the truth of it, Petco Park silenced the whispers.
—Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2024
The new hate crime law has also faced criticism over its impact on freedom of speech and concerns that it could be used to silence some views, including from those who advocate for women-only spaces.
—Staff and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
Overcoming this can mean silencing self-doubt and challenging the limiting beliefs that are imposed by society and, at times, by ourselves.
—Angela Quach, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near silence
Cite this Entry
“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silence. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
silence
1 of 2 noun
si·lence
ˈsī-lən(t)s
1
: the state of keeping or being silent
—often used as an interjection
"Silence!" demanded the maestro
2
: the state of there being no sound or noise : stillness
in the silence of the night
3
a
: a state of not mentioning
b
: secrecy sense 2
research done in silence
silence
2 of 2 verb
silenced; silencing
1
: to stop the noise or speech of : cause to be silent
silenced the class
2
: suppress sense 1
silencing opposing views
Medical Definition
silence
transitive verb
si·lence
ˈsī-lən(t)s
silenced; silencing
: to block the genetic expression of : suppress
the gene was silenced using the technique of RNA interference
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