1
as in shushes
to stop the noise or speech of
the instructor quickly silenced anyone who tried to interrupt we need to have a repairman come and silence that door alarm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suppresses
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
brutally silenced all political dissent in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silences
Proposition 50 almost completely silences minority California viewpoints in Congress until January 2033 – with no chance of changing any legislative outcomes.
—
Tom Campbell, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
This cultural divide silences companies and delays progress, while all the while AI is amplifying the threat.
—Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Tom Campbell, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
This cultural divide silences companies and delays progress, while all the while AI is amplifying the threat.
—Felicia Jackson, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silences
Verb
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Amnesty also argues that the ban suppresses expression across the wider pro-Palestinian movement, an assertion that the government rebukes.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
6 Sep. 2025
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The extent to which AI directly suppresses job growth is difficult to determine, but the perception of instability is real.—
Becca Bratcher,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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As dusk falls, the Himalayas blush pink, and the village quiets—wrapped in mountain shadow, the hush broken only by distant chanting and wind.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
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But when that noise quiets, the brain doesn’t just go idle.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Autumn hushes the Codrii forest, where mushrooms push through damp soil and the air smells of woodsmoke and moss.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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When the smoke settles (quite literally) and people return, their bodies suffer the consequences, and our hospitals have the evidence.—
Lahari Vuppaladhadiam,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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That settles into a spicy suede with cardamom and benzoin, before warming into tonka bean, amber, and musk.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silences.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silences. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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