unmute

verb

un·​mute ˌən-ˈmyüt How to pronounce unmute (audio)
unmuted; unmuting; unmutes

transitive verb

: to allow (something previously muted) to produce sound again : to stop muting (something)
At the end of the commercial break, I unmuted the TV and leaned forward …Camille Minichino

Examples of unmute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Parish Road Music / Ever More Nest / Kelcy Mae 131 subscribers Ever More Nest - Out Loud (Official) Parish Road Music / Ever More Nest / Kelcy Mae Watch later Share Copy link Info Shopping Tap to unmute If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Tracey Anne Duncan, NBC News, 19 July 2023 Given that the webinar was in presentation mode, Kaplan—and the other attendees—couldn’t unmute themselves, raise their hands, or communicate with one another. Eli Cahan, The New Republic, 10 July 2023 Word of the Day Sesame Street Watch later Share Copy link Info Shopping Tap to unmute If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device. Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 10 May 2023 Not long after that, Jeff Bezos appeared to unmute himself during Mark Zuckerberg’s opening statement, causing his startled face to momentarily flash across the screen. Nicolás Rivero, Quartz, 29 July 2020 Two years ago, for example, many of us were repeatedly remind Uncle Bob to unmute himself during a socially distanced Thanksgiving. Heard Editors, WSJ, 22 Nov. 2022 This saves any embarrassment caused by forgetting to unmute during a meeting. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2021 In those situations, everyone has the ability to unmute to ask questions and interact — which can lead to distractions. Iris Schneider, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2021 On calls to discuss their companies’ quarterly earnings, plenty keep forgetting to unmute. David Yanofsky, Quartz, 3 Dec. 2020 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unmute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1811, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmute was in 1811

Dictionary Entries Near unmute

Cite this Entry

“Unmute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmute. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!