1
as in cooling
to become still and orderly
the whole room hushed when the queen made her entrance
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quieting (down)
to stop talking
the principal asked the children to hush and pay attention during the ceremony
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
he tried to hush the baby by making a lot of silly faces
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hushing
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
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
Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hushing
Verb
-
The labor market has been cooling, though layoffs remain at levels economists consider historically manageable.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Newton made three straight 3-pointers to open the game and had half of his team’s points in the 48-48 tie after three quarters before cooling late in the fourth and missing five straight 3-pointers.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the goals are drying up from other positions, Watkins’ steady slide is more keenly felt now than in the early months of the campaign.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe the big money for college assistants finally is drying up.—
Michael Cunningham,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
His sentence was the longest punishment brought to date since China imposed the national security law in 2020, essentially silencing Hong Kong's dissent.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
This is not about silencing disagreement.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Kimmel quotes from one popular manual, published in 1916, that advised quieting a crying baby by flipping it over and administering a vigorous spanking.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Ball collided hard with Lee and both crumpled quickly to the floor, quieting the arena while many looked on anxiously.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Less sweat-trapping than many synthetic jackets, the Oreus kept me from clamming up while ski-touring in five-degree temps and dissipated sweat quickly when worn after strenuous climbs.—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
So for anyone who’s struggling to create that distance, Jeter suggests starting small and committing to just one month of no direct communication—along with blocking or muting them online.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The two-year war that followed had a muting effect on deals between Israel and the UAE, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza created a PR catastrophe for Israelis in the Gulf.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hushing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hushing. Accessed 7 Mar. 2026.
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