silence

1 of 2

noun

si·​lence ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
1
: forbearance from speech or noise : muteness
often used interjectionally
2
: absence of sound or noise : stillness
in the silence of the night
3
: absence of mention:
b
: secrecy
weapons research was conducted in silence

silence

2 of 2

verb

silenced; silencing

transitive verb

1
: to compel or reduce to silence : still
silenced the crowd
2
: suppress
silence dissent
3
: to cause to cease hostile firing or criticism
silence the opposition
4
genetics : to block the genetic expression of
RNA interference is a natural phenomenon. When a cell senses a double strand of RNA, it acts to silence any genes with the corresponding sequence of bases.Andrew Pollack

Examples of silence in a Sentence

Noun I find it hard to sleep unless there is complete silence. The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. We sat there in dead silence. My sister's revelation was met with stunned silence. The professor asked for silence. There was an awkward silence after he confessed his love for her. A long silence followed her reply. We must break 50 years of silence on issues like the government's involvement in assassination and espionage. I will not be intimidated into silence. She finally ended her silence and spoke to the media about what happened. Verb My sister's revelation silenced everyone around the table. Disconnecting the battery will silence the alarm. The mayor tried to silence his critics. I will not be silenced! It's obvious that the purpose of this law is to silence dissent.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, operates at Green Bank and requires radio silence for its work. Popular Science, 7 Mar. 2024 Frank dialogue and silence mingle on-screen, accomplishing a wistful rendition of Roca’s broadly engaging work. Holly Jones, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 Jonathan Majors breaks silence on ABC:'One of the biggest mistakes of my life' A Manhattan jury found Majors guilty of one misdemeanor assault charge and one harassment violation. Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 Here, Linklater breaks silence in the most direct and literal way—by speaking. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 An extended instrumental coda appears after a passage of silence, and suddenly the pedal steel and soft percussion provide transcendent levels of yacht-rock breeziness. Joshua Minsoo Kim, Rolling Stone, 28 Feb. 2024 The warmer their conversation, the more bitter and reproachful Samet’s silence. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 But if the goals were in line with Netanyahu’s rhetoric, political observers said the proposal was notable for breaking the official silence on the topic. Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 For more than 15 minutes after touchdown, Intuitive Machines’ mission control in Houston, Texas, waited in tense silence, as flight controllers attempted to establish contact with Odysseus. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Some Republicans complained the new system essentially silenced pockets of more centrist, anti-Trump Republicans. David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 Will the military exert an even heavier hand to silence the uproar and quash questions about its authority? Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Their requests for constituent services go unanswered; their voices have been silenced. The San Diego Union-Tribune Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Feb. 2024 Supporters said the charges were politically motivated and part of a campaign by Putin to silence him. Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 16 Feb. 2024 As Bernard saw it, the most powerful law-enforcement official in Indiana was trying to silence her and send a warning to other providers. Peter Slevin, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024 The death of Alexei Navalny deals a severe blow to Russia’s opposition, which President Vladimir Putin has ruthlessly silenced. Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 That same month, Idaho figures on the right, including Dustin Hurst, the former vice president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation who was also a party to the lawsuit, posted on social media in support of laws that would squelch efforts to silence critics. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 16 Feb. 2024 Myles Foster had 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Redbirds (12-14, 6-9 Missouri Valley Conference), who stopped a three-game skid, won for just the fourth time since Dec. 21 and silenced the crowd at Hulman Center. Todd Golden, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin silentium, from silent-, silens

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of silence was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near silence

Cite this Entry

“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silence. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

silence

1 of 2 noun
si·​lence ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
1
: the state of keeping or being silent
often used as an interjection
"Silence!" demanded the maestro
2
: the state of there being no sound or noise : stillness
in the silence of the night
3
a
: a state of not mentioning
b
: secrecy sense 2
research done in silence

silence

2 of 2 verb
silenced; silencing
1
: to stop the noise or speech of : cause to be silent
silenced the class
2
: suppress sense 1
silencing opposing views

Medical Definition

silence

transitive verb
si·​lence ˈsī-lən(t)s How to pronounce silence (audio)
silenced; silencing
: to block the genetic expression of : suppress
the gene was silenced using the technique of RNA interference

Legal Definition

silence

noun
si·​lence
1
: the state of keeping or being silent
especially : forbearance from speech or comment
2
: failure to make something known especially in violation of a duty to do so
acceptance by silence
see also estoppel by silence at estoppel sense 1

More from Merriam-Webster on silence

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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