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silence

/ˈsaɪ̯ləns/noun, verb2 syllables

Silence means: cause to be quiet or not talk.

Synonyms for silence16

noun, as in the trait of keeping things secret

secrecy, secretiveness

noun, as in the absence of sound

noun, as in a refusal to speak when expected

muteness

verb, as in cause to be quiet or not talk

hush, quieten, still, shut up, hush up, quiet, quiesce, quiet down, pipe down

also used for silence

mute, be quiet, shush, whist

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Opposites of silence

What does silence mean?6

verb

1

cause to be quiet or not talk“Please silence the children in the church!”

2

keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure“All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed power”

noun

1

the trait of keeping things secret

2

the absence of sound“he needed silence in order to sleep”

3

a refusal to speak when expected“his silence about my contribution was surprising”

4

the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)“there was a shocked silence”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Silence in a sentence

  • When he finished speaking, there was a silence.CM
  • For a few moments, there was complete silence.Source_VOA
  • The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed.unknown
  • He neither spoke nor wept, but went out in silence.unknown
  • Being unfamiliar with foreign languages, you'll never be able to understand the foreigner's silence.FeuDRenais2
  • If you do not know his language, you will never understand a foreigner's silence.zalaim
  • Silence is worth gold, but not when you're trying to learn a foreign language.verdulo
  • Only silence is great, the rest is weakness.Scott

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of silence

as a noun

plural
silences

as a verb

past tense
silenced
present participle
silencing
third-person singular
silences
past participle
silenced