mute 1 of 3

adjective

ˈmyüt How to pronounce mute (audio)
Definition of mutenext
1
as in speechless
unable to speak the child is both deaf and mute because her hearing was lost at birth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silent
deliberately refraining from speech remained mute no matter how much we pleaded for an answer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

mute

2 of 3

noun

as in quieter
a device on a musical instrument that deadens or softens its tone I was practicing my trumpet at three in the morning when the mute fell out, and I managed to wake everyone up

Synonyms & Similar Words

mute

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to silence
to stop the noise or speech of muted the television while she was on the phone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of mute
Adjective
If this morning's College GameDay was any indication, maybe watch the game on mute if the kiddos aren't in bed yet. — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026 Your iPhone 13 is missing the Action Button, a customizable shortcut key that replaced the age-old mute switch. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2026
Noun
Huffman turned his mute on and his camera off. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026 Gazes tangle, sound mutes, time bends. — Addie Citchens, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
Faith, clearly, doesn’t gravitate to artists who mute or censor themselves (tourmate Musgraves is another big inspiration). — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026 While censors didn’t catch the F-bomb on the live broadcast and stream, SNL posted the sketch to social media later that night with the word muted. — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for mute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mute
  1. speechless
  2. silent
  3. damper
  4. silence
  5. muffle
  6. muted
  7. shush
  8. quiet
Adjective
  • By the end, the audience is left almost speechless — and still thinking about this singular, deeply original performance long after Lyons has left the stage.
    — Rebecca Rosman, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
  • His friends, from brother Luigi (Charlie Day) to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) veer in a similar direction, somehow coming across less fully formed and three-dimensional than their nearly speechless inspirations from Nintendo‘s flagship franchise.
    — Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2026
Definition of speechless
Adjective
  • William has largely remained silent about the brothers' estrangement and has not publicly expressed a desire to repair their relationship.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Weigand spends much of his time on house calls, reviving cherished heirlooms that have long fallen silent.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of silent
Noun
  • This Dodge Charger reboot in Scat Pack form isn’t a cush highway cruiser, but the adaptive dampers keep it from getting skittish over broken Midwest pavement.
    — Joel Feder, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Fang Cheng Bao Meanwhile, the DiSus-M (Magnetorheological Fluid Damping System) uses magnetorheological (MR) fluid dampers instead of air chambers.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of damper
Verb
  • Jasper, in Chicago, understands the risk of silencing those hunger cues.
    — Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The event silenced critics who doubted the practicality of using ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel at sea.
    — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of silence
Verb
  • The sullen tribute to Payne settled the room into a cool near-silence, punctured by quiet gasps and muffled crying.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026
  • After two hours of practice, with the 10-foot-tall fences doing little to muffle the bullhorn orders and corresponding groans, the huddle broke and the personalities sprung to life.
    — Noah White, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of muffle
Adjective
  • The corporate nerve center is clad in the company palette of muted grays and bright-red accents.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Volumes were very muted Monday for the first extended session for stocks.
    — Oliver Renick,Tyler Bailey, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of muted
Verb
  • Bass’ barrages got to Raman more than a few times, leading her to talk over the NBC and Telemundo moderators or even shush them.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • They were repeatedly shushed instead as the Nittany Lions (3-3, 0-3) fell to 13-10 in their marquee event after failing to keep pace with a USC offense that averaged nearly eight yards per play through the first three quarters.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of shush
Verb
  • Albertans voted overwhelmingly to remain in Canada on Monday, but the result may do little to quiet the separatist movement that helped bring the question to the ballot.
    — Chantelle Lee, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
  • It’s been a tumultuous journey but coming to Atlanta this season has been the perfect move for the three-time All-Star, whose accomplishments this year have quieted many of her critics.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of quiet

Browse Nearby Words

mutations
mute
muted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mute

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mute

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of asunder

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All