1
as in muting
to deaden the sound of
the walls muffled their conversation so that only a low murmur was heard
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrapping
to surround or cover closely
the airport had been muffled in fog all morning long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muffling
The sound-muffling fabrics, carpets, ceiling tiles, tablecloths and rugs that used to decorate restaurants are deemed too stuffy these days, and even upholstered booths are being replaced by more barebones tables — and lots of them, close together.
—
Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Their flexible design fits snugly into ears, muffling plane engine sounds and loud conversations.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Acidification reduces the pH of seawater, which also diminishes sound absorption, so the stain of ship’s engine noise spreads further, muffling the songs of humpbacks and the codas of sperm whales.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
The timeless linen is backed with a white blackout liner to block out as much light as possible without adding unnecessary bulk to your window frames while muffling the sound from your street.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 31 Mar. 2026
Ideal for bedrooms, nurseries, apartments with older doors, and homes with hardwood or tile floors, this $4 draft stopper can stop the chilly air from entering, while also muffling outside noises and blocking dust, pollen, and pests.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
In addition, six interchanges were reconfigured and 7 miles of noise-muffling walls were installed.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Kubiak found that easy to navigate with a conservative game plan in the season finale at the 49ers with a rushing attack that had 39 attempts for 180 yards while the Seahawks’ defense was muffling the opposition.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
The active noise cancellation actually blocks sounds, instead of offering that fake muffling nonsense.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 13 May 2026
Their flexible design fits snugly into ears, muffling plane engine sounds and loud conversations.
—Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
Acidification reduces the pH of seawater, which also diminishes sound absorption, so the stain of ship’s engine noise spreads further, muffling the songs of humpbacks and the codas of sperm whales.
—Literary Hub, 9 Apr. 2026
The timeless linen is backed with a white blackout liner to block out as much light as possible without adding unnecessary bulk to your window frames while muffling the sound from your street.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 31 Mar. 2026
Ideal for bedrooms, nurseries, apartments with older doors, and homes with hardwood or tile floors, this $4 draft stopper can stop the chilly air from entering, while also muffling outside noises and blocking dust, pollen, and pests.
—Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Feb. 2026
In addition, six interchanges were reconfigured and 7 miles of noise-muffling walls were installed.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2026
Kubiak found that easy to navigate with a conservative game plan in the season finale at the 49ers with a rushing attack that had 39 attempts for 180 yards while the Seahawks’ defense was muffling the opposition.
—Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
The active noise cancellation actually blocks sounds, instead of offering that fake muffling nonsense.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffling
Verb
-
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
-
There are additional buttons for pairing via Bluetooth and muting the microphone.—
Christian de Looper,
PC Magazine,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Italian Jesuit missionary Felipe Salvador Gilij, who lived along the Orinoco River in Venezuela in the mid-18th century, is considered the first to document Indigenous leaf-wrapping practices.—
Sophia Rey,
JSTOR Daily,
28 May 2026
-
Venus enters your sign on June 13, wrapping you in magnetism, beauty, and pleasure.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Players from the top European teams, like Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, had already played sixty matches during their regular seasons, before taking to pitches in heat-dome temperatures of ninety-seven degrees and stifling humidity.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
-
Everyone was very, very, very religious, but specifically Christianity and Catholicism, which in my opinion are very stifling religions that are very God-fearing.—
Louis Staples,
Glamour,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Rain washed out qualifying Saturday, and the gray, overcast sky served as a fitting background for the somber mood enveloping Charlotte Motor Speedway and its 1½-mile track.—
Steve Reed,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
The feeling is organic and involving, just as the sound of the voices is intimate and enveloping.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Congressional leaders, wired to protect their own and afraid of upsetting their narrow margins, are famous for shrouding ethics investigations in secrecy and dragging them out for years.—
Mary Ellen Klas,
Twin Cities,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Advertisement Israel has bombed oil depots in Tehran, shrouding the city in toxic black smoke, and attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This was not so much about wrapping key players in cotton wool but also enclosing them in bubble wrap, doing everything to avoid injury.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
This likely can’t be done before the embryo is in place, as simply pumping more material into the yolk would likely cause the membrane enclosing it to burst.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The concrete cap of a tomb encasing radioactive fallout now has cracks, and what’s beneath can rise from the dead.—
Devika Rao,
TheWeek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The crunchy encasing pairs perfectly with the melty cheese and various fillings inside, including cheese, tinga, potato and chorizo, and raja (strips of peppers and onions).—
Carolyn Burt,
Oc Register,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muffling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffling. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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