Silence

/ˈsaɪləns/

Meaning & Definition

noun

The absence of sound; complete quiet.

There was a profound silence in the room after the announcement.

The state of being silent or quiet.

He preferred the silence of the countryside to the noise of the city.

Deliberate refusal to speak or communicate.

Her silence during the meeting was notable and raised eyebrows.

verb

To cause to become silent; to hush.

The teacher raised her hand to silence the noisy classroom.

To suppress or put an end to (a sound or noise).

The manager tried to silence the critics with a confident presentation.

Middle English 'silence', from Old French, from Latin 'silentium', from 'silens', present participle of 'silere' meaning 'to be quiet'.

silence is golden

A phrase suggesting that saying nothing can be preferable to speaking.

silence speaks volumes

Indicates that a lack of communication can convey powerful messages.

give someone the silent treatment

To deliberately ignore someone by not speaking to them.

break the silence

To start speaking again after a period of quiet.

silence your phone

To turn off or mute notifications on a mobile device.

quiet

The state of making little or no noise.

calm

A state of tranquility or peace.

muteness

The quality of being mute; unable to speak.

hush

A command or request for silence.

stillness

The absence of movement or sound.

Crickets

When I asked him about his plans and he just stared at me, all I could hear was crickets.

Dead air

There was dead air on the radio after the DJ forgot to cue the next song.