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
Relevance
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
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 silencing
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
This is not about silencing disagreement.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 19 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
On Sunday, Alnylam, the gene-silencing company that notched one gigantic accomplishment after another over the past five years, set out a plan for the next five years built on yet more innovation and growth.
—Matthew Herper, STAT, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s immigration policies don’t make sense as a pro-worker agenda, but do make sense as a way of silencing dissent and keeping out nonwhite immigrants.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
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
This is not about silencing disagreement.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 19 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
On Sunday, Alnylam, the gene-silencing company that notched one gigantic accomplishment after another over the past five years, set out a plan for the next five years built on yet more innovation and growth.
—Matthew Herper, STAT, 11 Jan. 2026
Trump’s immigration policies don’t make sense as a pro-worker agenda, but do make sense as a way of silencing dissent and keeping out nonwhite immigrants.
—Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 5 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
-
In my case, treatment looks like temporarily suppressing the adenomyosis with Lupron injections before attempting another embryo transfer to create the best possible environment for implantation.—
L'Oreal Thompson Payton,
SELF,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic was violently suppressing antigovernment protests across the country.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kimmel quotes from one popular manual, published in 1916, that advised quieting a crying baby by flipping it over and administering a vigorous spanking.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Ball collided hard with Lee and both crumpled quickly to the floor, quieting the arena while many looked on anxiously.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Sales of the iPhone have also been instrumental in quelling Wall Street’s concerns about where the company stands in the AI race.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Some of Altman’s and OpenAI’s social media push over the weekend seemed aimed at quelling concerns among the company’s own employees over the Pentagon contract.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
Multiple officers were involved in subduing Guity and placing him in handcuffs, police said.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
14 Jan. 2026
-
As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
5 Jan. 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
Verb
-
His name has been associated with police operations carried out in the context of protests, detentions, and crowd-control actions executed by the PNB, a force that since its creation has played a central role in repressing political dissent.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Despite these differences, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is resorting to a familiar playbook for repressing protests, blending a passing acknowledgement of his system’s shortcomings with maximum deflection and defiance.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silencing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silencing. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
