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 Pollack
Synonyms
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.
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Recent Examples on the WebAbbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023
Here’s what experts had to say about why walking in silence can improve mental health and wellbeing, and how people can set themselves up for success before trying mindful walking.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 8 Sep. 2023
The moment of silence usually lasts about five seconds before the music revs up again and Beyoncé continues with the rest of the song.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
As the pair stood and reflected in-front of the image, the air stood still, with the silence echoing around the historical cathedral.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023
His Munro observes in silence, sketches images in his notebook, without ever trying to impose his beliefs on the Māori.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
In all that silence, terrible thoughts snagged in her mind.
—Ellen Barry Hilary Swift, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The same radio silence that defined the Pac-12’s messaging strategy throughout the media rights negotiations is at work in this endeavor.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023
Eleven days after Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales sparked international backlash during the country's World Cup celebrations, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is breaking his silence.
—Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023
Alabama needs a victory to help silence some of the doubters about the direction of the program.
—USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
To that end, the United States and NATO need to make clear that their explicit goal is for Ukraine to defeat Russia’s forces in Ukraine—and to silence Russia’s global narrative.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2023
These tactics encompassed frequent physical removal of murals that challenged the status quo, aiming to silence the voices of those speaking out against injustice by detaining, kidnapping and threatening the lives of their creators.
—Pouya Afshar, The Conversation, 30 Aug. 2023
That triggered the vote to silence Jones, infuriating Democrats and gun control advocates in the gallery, who yelled in protest.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 29 Aug. 2023
Jordan and other Republicans allege these efforts to limit online falsehoods amount to a vast conspiracy between social media companies and the Biden administration to silence conservative viewpoints online.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
Republican lawmakers silenced the ''Tennessee Three'' Democrats on the House floor for a day.
—USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023
Wright, who didn’t sue Law360, is asking both women for $108 million in damages.
Dorsey and Landry, who were among five women who spoke to Bloomberg and agreed to be identified, said Wright was seeking to silence them with this suit.
—Leah Nylen, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2023
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Noun
You and Derbez’s performance point to it fueling some of Jaime’s silence.
—Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Sep. 2023
Here’s what experts had to say about why walking in silence can improve mental health and wellbeing, and how people can set themselves up for success before trying mindful walking.
—Julia Landwehr, Health, 8 Sep. 2023
The moment of silence usually lasts about five seconds before the music revs up again and Beyoncé continues with the rest of the song.
—Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2023
As the pair stood and reflected in-front of the image, the air stood still, with the silence echoing around the historical cathedral.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 8 Sep. 2023
His Munro observes in silence, sketches images in his notebook, without ever trying to impose his beliefs on the Māori.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023
In all that silence, terrible thoughts snagged in her mind.
—Ellen Barry Hilary Swift, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The same radio silence that defined the Pac-12’s messaging strategy throughout the media rights negotiations is at work in this endeavor.
—Jon Wilner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023
Eleven days after Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales sparked international backlash during the country's World Cup celebrations, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is breaking his silence.
—Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 1 Sep. 2023
Verb
And the women have accused the controversial church of trying to silence them, an allegation a Scientology spokesperson has vehemently and repeatedly denied.
—Diana Dasrath, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023
Alabama needs a victory to help silence some of the doubters about the direction of the program.
—USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2023
To that end, the United States and NATO need to make clear that their explicit goal is for Ukraine to defeat Russia’s forces in Ukraine—and to silence Russia’s global narrative.
—Mick Ryan, Foreign Affairs, 30 Aug. 2023
These tactics encompassed frequent physical removal of murals that challenged the status quo, aiming to silence the voices of those speaking out against injustice by detaining, kidnapping and threatening the lives of their creators.
—Pouya Afshar, The Conversation, 30 Aug. 2023
That triggered the vote to silence Jones, infuriating Democrats and gun control advocates in the gallery, who yelled in protest.
—Dakin Andone, CNN, 29 Aug. 2023
Jordan and other Republicans allege these efforts to limit online falsehoods amount to a vast conspiracy between social media companies and the Biden administration to silence conservative viewpoints online.
—Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2023
Republican lawmakers silenced the ''Tennessee Three'' Democrats on the House floor for a day.
—USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023
Wright, who didn’t sue Law360, is asking both women for $108 million in damages.
Dorsey and Landry, who were among five women who spoke to Bloomberg and agreed to be identified, said Wright was seeking to silence them with this suit.
—Leah Nylen, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2023
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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.
Word History
Phrases Containing silence
Dictionary Entries Near silence
Cite this Entry
“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silence. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
Legal Definition
silence
noun
si·lence
1
: the state of keeping or being silent
especially
: forbearance from speech or comment
2
: failure to make something known especially in violation of a duty to do so
acceptance by silence
see also estoppel by silence at estoppel sense 1
More from Merriam-Webster on silence
Nglish: Translation of silence for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of silence for Arabic Speakers
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