silence

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A complete lack of sound.

   The silence of the forest was relaxing after the noise of the city.

2. 2
   noun

   A situation in which no one is speaking.

   There was a shocked silence after the announcement.

3. 3
   verb

   To make someone or something stop making noise or speaking.

   Please silence your phones before the film begins.

4. 4
   verb

   To stop someone from expressing their opinions, often by force or pressure.

   All dissenters were silenced when the dictator took power.

Common collocations

• shocked silence Adjective + noun
• moody silence Adjective + noun

From Middle English silence, from Old French silence, from Latin silentium (“silence”), from silēns (“quiet, silent”, present participle of silēre) + -ium. Displaced native Old English swīġe and sālnes.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary
• Google Images