silence
Americannoun
-
absence of any sound or noise; stillness.
-
the state or fact of being silent; muteness.
-
absence or omission of mention, comment, or expressed concern.
the conspicuous silence of our newspapers on local graft.
-
the state of being forgotten; oblivion.
in the news again after years of silence.
-
concealment; secrecy.
verb (used with object)
interjection
noun
-
the state or quality of being silent
-
the absence of sound or noise; stillness
-
refusal or failure to speak, communicate, etc, when expected
his silence on the subject of their promotion was alarming
-
a period of time without noise
-
oblivion or obscurity
verb
-
to bring to silence
-
to put a stop to; extinguish
to silence all complaint
Other Word Forms
- oversilence noun
- unsilenced adjective
Etymology
Origin of silence
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English (noun), from Old French, from Latin silentium, derivative of silēre “to be quiet”; silent
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Now, while Haaland's impressive haul of 29 goals for the campaign still leads the way, Semenyo - and others - are silencing those who feared City were too reliant on the Norwegian's goals.
From BBC
We stand in silence and stare at the collection of gas, dust, dark matter and billions of stars.
From BBC
The crushing response sent society into shock and mourning, in an atmosphere of silence, bewilderment, anger and uncertainty about the future.
From Barron's
The crushing response sent society into shock and mourning, in an atmosphere of silence, bewilderment, anger and uncertainty about the future.
From Barron's
After his remarks, board members quickly exited the room in silence.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
