Silence: A Definition
silence | ˈsīləns |
noun
complete absence of sound:
sirens pierce the silence of the night | an eerie silence descended over the house.
• the fact or state of abstaining from speech:
Karen had withdrawn into sullen silence | she was reduced to silence for a moment |
we finished our meal in silence.
• the avoidance of mentioning or discussing something:
politicians keep their silence on the big questions.
• the state of standing still and not speaking as a sign of respect for someone deceased
or in an opportunity for prayer: a moment of silence presided over by a local minister.
verb [with object]
1 prohibit or prevent from speaking: she was silenced by the officer's stern look |
the team's performance silenced their critics | freedom of the press cannot be silenced by tanks.
• stop or suppress (a sound or noise);
cause to become silent: she silenced the alarm on her phone.
2 Genetics suppress or prevent the expression of (a gene or genetic material):
many inherited disorders are caused by a mutation that silences a gene.
noun
1 the sound of falling stones broke the silence of the night.
quietness, quiet, quietude, still, stillness, hush, tranquility, noiselessness,
soundlessness, peace, peacefulness, peace and quiet.
ANTONYMS sound, noise.
2 she was reduced to silence.
speechlessness, wordlessness, voicelessness, dumbness, muteness;
taciturnity, reticence, uncommunicativeness, unresponsiveness.
ANTONYMS speech; loquacity.
3 politicians keep their silence on the big issues. secretiveness, secrecy, reticence, taciturnity, uncommunicativeness, concealment.
ANTONYMS communication, communicativeness.
verb
1 he silenced her with a kiss |
Barnes has failed to silence his critics.
hush, shush, still; gag, muzzle, censor, stifle;
British English quieten; North American English quiet.
2 the ventilator also silences outside noises.
muffle, deaden, soften, mute, smother, dampen, damp down, tone down, mask, suppress, reduce, abate; extinguish, kill.
ANTONYMS amplify.
3 cheap nuclear power would silence complaints from industry.
stop, put an end to, put a stop to, cut short, suppress.
ANTONYMS occasion, encourage.