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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbing
Verb
-
In the clip, the then-6-year-old can be seen walking with his iPad to the next room and shushing everyone.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025 -
Booing begins, and then shushing, and then booing again.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers, after silencing the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-1, Tuesday night in front of a subdued crowd at American Family Field, are putting on one of the most dominant pitching clinics in the league.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Young Democrats are also more critical of Israel than their older peers, so any vote that could be perceived as silencing pro-Palestinian voices is risky.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And Democrats will remain the side fond of muting dissent.—
Newsweek Contributors,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Echo chambers can emerge, amplifying consensus while muting dissenting expertise.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Tresemmé Lamellar Gloss Finishing Oil is what stands between you and shampoo-ad levels of shine, locking in luster and quieting frizz with its mix of sunflower, coconut, and macadamia oils.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Nine of those points came in a 16-0 third quarter run that turned a seven-point deficit into a 61-52 lead heading to the fourth, quieting the packed house in San Francisco’s Chase Center.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Whether just going in to grab a quick cup of coffee, a sandwich between classes or work, or settling in for a Sunday morning breakfast, Laurel Market is the kind of place that reminds you why local spots matter.—
Sofia DiStefano,
Charlotte Observer,
20 Oct. 2025
-
In winter, your ceiling fans may not be used as often, but dust is still circulating around the house and settling on surfaces.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
20 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Dumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbing. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share