mute

1 of 4

adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

1

: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech

2

: characterized by absence of speech: such as

a

: felt or experienced but not expressed

touched her hand in mute sympathy

her mute hostility

b

: refusing to plead directly or stand trial

the prisoner stands mute

3

: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized

The hounds generally hunt mute, so they can get close to the game.

4

a

: contributing nothing to the pronunciation of a word

the b in plumb is mute

b

: contributing to the pronunciation of a word but not representing the nucleus of a syllable

the e in mate is mute

mutely adverb

muteness noun

mute

2 of 4

noun

plural mutes

1

: a device attached to or inserted into a musical instrument to soften or alter its tone

2

: stop entry 2 sense 9

3

dated, offensive : a person who lacks the ability to speak

mute

3 of 4

verb (1)

muted; muting

transitive verb

1

: to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of

2

: to tone down : soften, subdue

mute a color

mute

4 of 4

verb (2)

muted; muting

intransitive verb

of a bird

: to evacuate the cloaca

Synonyms

Adjective

• inarticulate
• speechless
• voiceless

Noun

• damper

Verb (1)

• dumb
• extinguish
• hush
• quell
• quiet
• quieten [chiefly British]
• settle
• shush
• shut up
• silence
• squelch
• still

Examples of mute in a Sentence

Adjective

They hugged each other in mute sympathy.

I could see a mute plea for help in his eyes.

Noun

I was practicing my trumpet at three in the morning when the mute fell out, and I managed to wake everyone up.

Verb (1)

muted the television while she was on the phone

closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Laura, who lost her daughter Cathy months prior, is already looking after a young foster child named Ollie (Jonah Wren Phillips), a strange, selectively mute boy who has an insatiable appetite and a blood feud with the family cat. —Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 16 May 2025

Roku’s advancements in remote technology over the last 15 years are visually subtle, and include a volume rocker and mute button on the right edge and a pinhole microphone near the top for voice control. —PC Magazine, 6 May 2025

Noun

After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date. —Vulture, 12 Dec. 2022

After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her – sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Dec. 2022

Verb

Moreover, muting moderate voices within the Democratic Party is bad for the state of Illinois. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025

The Panthers led 1-0, then 2-0, then 3-0 Sunday with a triple-play scores in a span of 6:24 that muted the stunned home crowd. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 19 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb (1)

Middle English muet, mut, from Anglo-French, from mu, mute, from Latin mutus, probably from mu, representation of a muttered sound

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French *meutir, short for ameutir, alteration of Old French esmeltir, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch smelten to melt, make fluid, defecate (of birds)

First Known Use

Adjective

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mute

• deaf-mute
• mute swan

Rhymes for mute

• beaut
• boot
• bruit
• brut
• brute
• chute
• coot
• cute
• flute
• fruit
• hoot
• jute

Kids Definition

mute

1 of 3 adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

1

: unable to speak

2

: felt but not expressed in words

mute sympathy

3

: not pronounced : silent

the mute "b" in "thumb"

mutely adverb

muteness noun

mute

2 of 3 noun

1

offensive : a person who cannot or does not speak

—used especially in the past

2

: a device attached to or inserted into a musical instrument to reduce, soften, or muffle its tone

3

: stop entry 2 sense 9

mute

3 of 3 verb

muted; muting

1

: to muffle or reduce the sound of

2

: to tone down

muted his criticism

Medical Definition

mute

1 of 2 adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech

muteness noun

mute

2 of 2 noun

dated, offensive : a person who lacks the ability to speak