1
as in shushing
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 suppressing
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 silencing
The justices recognized that Colorado had crossed a constitutional line by favoring one set of ideas while silencing another.
—
Jeffrey S. Trimbath, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026
Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in 2024, accusing it of silencing its statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Instead of silencing the public and turning them away, Democrats should stay and do the job they were elected to do.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
Simmons said Tarrant families are tired of O’Hare’s bullying, silencing and antics.
—Rachel Royster
march 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
The city put out a news release naming her and accusing her of endangering lives, disrupting civic engagement, silencing residents, intimidating, and interfering with democracy.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 28 Feb. 2026
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, 26 Feb. 2026
Instead, activists say, officials have moved to censor discussion of the issue, blocking searches and silencing those who have tried to warn women or press for action.
—New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
Jeffrey S. Trimbath, Baltimore Sun, 20 Apr. 2026
Ben & Jerry’s sued Unilever in 2024, accusing it of silencing its statements in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Instead of silencing the public and turning them away, Democrats should stay and do the job they were elected to do.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 9 Mar. 2026
Simmons said Tarrant families are tired of O’Hare’s bullying, silencing and antics.
—Rachel Royster
march 5, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Mar. 2026
The city put out a news release naming her and accusing her of endangering lives, disrupting civic engagement, silencing residents, intimidating, and interfering with democracy.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 28 Feb. 2026
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, 26 Feb. 2026
Instead, activists say, officials have moved to censor discussion of the issue, blocking searches and silencing those who have tried to warn women or press for action.
—New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
But freedom of expression is a constant pursuit, as natural as breathing, and silencing it is an imperfect practice that exhausts the oppressor and energizes the oppressed.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silencing
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
-
Moss is low-maintenance, eco-friendly, and can thrive in various environments, benefiting gardens by controlling erosion and suppressing weeds.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Echinacea may interact with caffeine and immune-suppressing medications, though more research is needed to confirm this.—
Megan Nunn,
Verywell Health,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Research has linked prolonged exposure to that level of ambient noise to elevated stress and anxiety, so by quieting that baseline sensory load, ANC creates the right environment for some calming music or a meditation app to do its job.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah, quelling the violence.—
Omar Albam,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2026
-
In December, the Mouse House pledged to invest $1 billion in OpenAI and entered a three-year licensing agreement for allowing over 200 Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars characters’ likenesses to be used in Sora, quelling some of the text-to-video app’s brushups with copyright law.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The defense was more than satisfactory in subduing the league’s top offense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
19 Apr. 2026
-
Mario himself is played mostly straight by Pratt, subduing the exaggerated Italian accent from the games, while retaining the underdog aspect of a blue collar guy burdened with greater purpose.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
5 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
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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
Verb
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People fed up with rolling blackouts have staged sporadic protests in recent days, banging pots and shouting slogans against the government, rare demonstrations in a country known for repressing dissent.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Mar. 2026
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The White House imposed sanctions on Larijani in January for his role in repressing nationwide protests in the country, which saw thousands killed in the violent government crackdown, rights group say.—
Yarden Segev,
NBC news,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silencing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silencing. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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