silence

1 of 2

noun

si·​lence ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
1
: forbearance from speech or noise : muteness
often used interjectionally
2
: absence of sound or noise : stillness
in the silence of the night
3
: absence of mention:
b
: secrecy
weapons research was conducted in silence

silence

2 of 2

verb

silenced; silencing

transitive verb

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

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 Web
Noun
Renee Nelson, who parted ways with Fox 10 in August of 2023, has broken her silence about her departure from the Phoenix news station — and says her exit surprised her as much as anyone. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 18 Mar. 2024 The admission will come as a relief to those who groaned through Jo Koy’s quip about the pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end at the Golden Globes in January, which elicited awkward silence and a cold reaction from Swift, who was in the audience that night. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 8 Mar. 2024 Video shows dozens of people gathered around the grave at the Borisovsky Cemetery in Moscow, with some laying flowers while others stand in silence or take pictures. Radina Gigova, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 In case after case, officers intentionally earned the trust of parents and guardians, created opportunities to get kids alone and threatened repercussions for broken silence. Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Your very own paper, The New York Times, said that after two hours, you’re starved for silence. Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 Cena’s lack of clothes stopped passersby in their tracks, including stars like Gerwig, Riz Ahmed, and Emma Stone who all paused to stare at the screen in the silence. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 The world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, operates at Green Bank and requires radio silence for its work. Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Frank dialogue and silence mingle on-screen, accomplishing a wistful rendition of Roca’s broadly engaging work. Holly Jones, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
In August 2018, Cohen reached a plea deal with prosecutors regarding his involvement in silencing Daniels. Anna Tingley, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024 Hong Kong lawmakers have fast-tracked and passed a new security law, expanding on the already vague, draconian and wide-ranging penalties that have silenced almost all forms of public dissent and transformed institutions in the Asian financial hub. Lily Kuo, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 That stopped only after Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020, silencing dissent and wiping out many activist groups, including the one coordinating the annual march. TIME, 19 Mar. 2024 It’s done by changing the patterns of modifications on our DNA, so some genes are silenced and others are allowed to remain active. Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 The Gaza war has largely silenced the typical Ramadan gripes about how hungry or thirsty people are from fasting all day, Tarin said. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 So the actor, best known for his roles in The Sopranos and White Lotus, stayed in character, playing the mayor of a town hellbent on silencing a protest by the play’s protagonist, portrayed by Succession’s Jeremy Strong. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 However, his brother, Mayor Peter (Imperioli), ends up being his enemy in an attempt to silence the doctor's warnings. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Some Republicans complained the new system essentially silenced pockets of more centrist, anti-Trump Republicans. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 6 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin silentium, from silent-, silens

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of silence was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near silence

Cite this Entry

“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silence. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

silence

1 of 2 noun
si·​lence ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
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 How to pronounce silence (audio)
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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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