1
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
muted the television while she was on the phone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in muffling
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 muting
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
Skipping a baby shower or muting a pregnancy announcement on social media are reasonable ways to protect your own emotional wellbeing during a difficult season.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Scientists say this indicates that the medicines were muting the crustaceans' pain processing.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Questioning whether Jews deserve equal rights without muting their identity is not a neutral intellectual exercise.
—Kenneth L. Marcus, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
This year’s hard freeze that melted most of our daffodils also took the edge off many of the Bradford pear blooms, muting the usual burst of white flowers across the landscape.
—Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
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
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
Skipping a baby shower or muting a pregnancy announcement on social media are reasonable ways to protect your own emotional wellbeing during a difficult season.
—Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Apr. 2026
Scientists say this indicates that the medicines were muting the crustaceans' pain processing.
—Christopher Edwards, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Questioning whether Jews deserve equal rights without muting their identity is not a neutral intellectual exercise.
—Kenneth L. Marcus, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
This year’s hard freeze that melted most of our daffodils also took the edge off many of the Bradford pear blooms, muting the usual burst of white flowers across the landscape.
—Markis Hill, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muting
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
-
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
Verb
-
Self-silencing pain and allowing it to be silenced, however, had not served me well.—
Nami Mun,
The Atlantic,
16 May 2026
-
In this brilliant late-career work, Morrison shows that the United States of America and Americans are constantly shaping and reshaping a complicated tale, and that silencing or erasing parts of it is futile.—
Time,
Time,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
Search revenue grew 17% year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2025, quieting concerns over AI’s cannibalizing Google’s core business, and the company crossed $400 billion in annual revenue for the first time.—
Andrew R. Chow,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
The alarms go off, the two get locked in the entry hall, and as Emma panics, Charlie rushes over to kiss her, quieting her fear.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Muting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muting. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
