mute

adjective

Save Word

\ ˈmyüt

muter; mutest

Definition of mute

(Entry 1 of 4)

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.

4a : 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

mute

noun

plural mutes

Definition of mute (Entry 2 of 4)

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

verb (1)

muted; muting

Definition of mute (Entry 3 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of

2 : to tone down : soften, subdue mute a color

mute

verb (2)

muted; muting

Definition of mute (Entry 4 of 4)

intransitive verb

of a bird

: to evacuate the cloaca

Other Words from mute Synonyms More Example Sentences Phrases Containing mute Learn More About mute

Synonyms for mute

Synonyms: Adjective

Synonyms: Noun

damper

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.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The President himself has remained mute on the subject of the upcoming trip, but his White House spokesperson told reporters last week that Saudi oil production would not be a topic of conversation during the visit. — David Blackmon, Forbes, 9 June 2022 Charlie Duffy hits mute on the TV in her home as she is being interviewed by a reporter. — Richard Obert, The Arizona Republic, 9 June 2022 Others were rendered nearly mute as the dam burst from the magnitude of their grief. — Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 June 2022 Jacob's character, Kane, debuted as a crimson, masked and mute demon who was half-brothers with fan-favorite superstar The Undertaker. — Fox News, 7 June 2022 The social network offers a number of ways to take charge of your online experience, including providing tools that let users limit who can comment, filter abusive DM requests, and mute spammy friends without unfollowing them. — Stephanie Mlot, PCMAG, 7 June 2022 In other words, unfollow or mute accounts or online groups that don’t spark joy. — Melissa Matthews, SELF, 10 May 2022 When entering a meeting, the video and mute buttons will turn off by default (the default collaboration touchpad behavior depends on the mic and camera defaults set by the user in Zoom application settings), showing up red on the touchpad. — Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 26 Apr. 2022 Higgins, meanwhile, was enlisted to play a mute cow. — Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 May 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The Dell Latitude 9330 announced Tuesday has a glass touchpad that offers one-touch access to Zoom's microphone mute, video on/off, screen share, and chat options. — Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 26 Apr. 2022 The Russian invasion has rendered Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban mute, a rare occurrence, and forced him to accept European Union sanctions against Russia. — William A. Galston, WSJ, 8 Mar. 2022 The remote also include controls for volume, mute, play/pause/skip, menu, and so on. — Marc Saltzman, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2022 Buttons for control of volume/mute, music, and calls, and Amazon Alexa Built-in, Google Assistant, Siri. Google Fast Pair for fast pairing with Android smartphones. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2021 In fact, the survey says that 92% of U.S. executives report employees who are less engaged, either frequently on mute or don’t turn on their camera during virtual meetings, probably don’t have a long-term future at their company. — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 25 Apr. 2022 The first trick to nailing a historical figure’s voice is an unlikely one: watching YouTube clips on mute. — Sarah Ball, WSJ, 27 Mar. 2022 There a large landscape print on one wall and a couple TVs on mute. — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 15 Feb. 2022 Then one day, while posting up in his apartment with a cousin, staring at a television on mute, Williams watched a slightly younger version of himself walk across the screen. — Jamie Lauren Keiles Ismail Muhammad Kim Tingley Benoit Denizet-lewis Sam Anderson Jazmine Hughes Irina Aleksander Sasha Weiss Rowan Ricardo Phillips Stella Bugbee Michael Paterniti Maggie Jones Robert Draper Rob Hoerburger Jason Zengerle Reginald Dwayne Betts Jane Hu David Marchese Hanif Abdurraqib Jenna Wortham Anthony Giardina Niela Orr Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The device also has illuminated touch controls spread around the Speak 750’s central speaker and these can be used to alter volume levels, end calls or mute the microphone when needed. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 18 May 2022 Others may want to hide a messy bedroom or mute the sound of their children arguing with one another in the next room. — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 19 Apr. 2022 One pro tip: be sure to let the chill come off the bottle a bit before sipping—really cold temperatures tend to mute a wine’s flavors and aromas. — Katie Kelly Bell, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022 Union supporters accused Amazon of excluding them from meetings to mute criticism and pushback, but Amazon denied the accusation. — Noam Scheiber, BostonGlobe.com, 31 Mar. 2022 Auto loans may also rise, although these can be more sensitive to competition for buyers, which could mute the Fed hike's impact. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 16 Mar. 2022 One of my writing techniques is actually to put on some of my favorite film clips, mute them and write to them. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 12 Apr. 2022 In turn, this will mute competition from Xi’s opposition within the Chinese Communist Party. — David Bachman, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2022 To mute someone on Twitter, go to their profile page, click the three dots at the top of the timeline, then choose Mute. — David Nield, Wired, 20 Mar. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The output setting can be set up to mute the studio monitors the moment any mic fader is opened, in order to stop feedback. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 24 June 2022 However, a union loss could mute some of the recent labor celebration and raise questions about whether the first victory was just a fluke. — Haleluya Hadero, ajc, 2 May 2022 However, a union loss could mute some of the recent labor celebration and raise questions about whether the first victory was just a fluke. — CBS News, 2 May 2022 However, a union loss could mute some of the recent labor celebration and raise questions about whether the first victory was just a fluke. — Haleluya Hadero, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2022 Fox had to mute the audio while A-Rod was talking at one point because the pulsating crowd was aiming a certain chant his way. — BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2021 With Russia’s economy facing a steep economic downturn as international sanctions bite, Moscow appears eager to mute the pain. — New York Times, 16 May 2022 Marsh, appearing virtually Wednesday from the Ocean County Jail, yelled and used obscenities repeatedly throughout the proceeding, prompting the Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to order the hearing’s moderator to mute the defendant. — Kathleen Hopkins, USA TODAY, 21 Apr. 2022 Others may want to hide a messy bedroom or mute the sound of their children arguing with one another in the next room. — Sarah Todd, Quartz, 19 Apr. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of mute

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

History and Etymology for mute

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)

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