as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbing
Verb
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Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026 -
Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Avila-Siqueiros was silencing the Warner bats, allowing just four walks and an error in the first five innings.—
Kevin J. Farmer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
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Self-silencing pain and allowing it to be silenced, however, had not served me well.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
Verb
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Historians have written about how the widespread fear and conformity of these periods reshaped American society in enduring ways, including the destruction of progressive political movements and both delaying and muting the Civil Rights Movement itself.—
Bruce Schneier,
The Conversation,
27 May 2026
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There are additional buttons for pairing via Bluetooth and muting the microphone.—
Christian de Looper,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
Verb
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There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
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Unfortunately, the austerity and elegance of the downstairs dining room acts as a dampener, hushing the salad’s brashness and sapping much of the fun.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
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However, the Rams’ acquisition of Garrett puts a team that was firmly a Super Bowl favorite back in the conversation for a 2026 Super Bowl run, quieting the doubters who rose after the 2026 NFL Draft.—
Gladys Louise Tyler,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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The company says the device supports sleep by lowering cortisol within minutes, slowing the heart, quieting racing thoughts and shifting users into parasympathetic mode.—
Samantha Agate,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
Verb
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But just outside George Town, that same shoreline also supports residences built not for checking in, but settling in.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
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Ferraro’s Ristorante, Stage Door Casino, Battista’s Hole in the Wall, and Ellis Island all pursued legal action, with race officials ultimately settling each case out of court, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
4 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbing. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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