1
as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
the instructor quickly silenced anyone who tried to interrupt we need to have a repairman come and silence that door alarm
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suppressing
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
brutally silenced all political dissent in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silencing
Trump’s immigration policies don’t make sense as a pro-worker agenda, but do make sense as a way of silencing dissent and keeping out nonwhite immigrants.
—
Gilad Edelman, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Students have been instructed to continue sheltering in place until further notice, locking doors and silencing phones.
—Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 13 Dec. 2025
These practices reveal a government intent not only on silencing words but on erasing belief itself.
—Oscar Biscet, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025
Bradford helped oversee it with Sidney’s late father, eventually twisting it to advance her own motives, erasing missions and silencing leaks.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
Sidney Crosby, who has long taken particular delight in silencing the citizens in the eastern part of the commonwealth, did it again Monday.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Caleb Williams and the Bears won a crucial game on the road, silencing some doubters who questioned their 8-3 record compared to the Eagles’ identical record entering the Prime Video matchup.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 29 Nov. 2025
Dozens of pending lawsuits accuse churches of shielding predators, silencing victims and allowing abuse to fester unchecked.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC news, 30 Oct. 2025
The British did not have legislation as all-silencing as this.
—The New Yorker, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silencing
Verb
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After once rising from her seat to scold a man recording the broadcast on his phone to shushing in-studio viewers during an interview with Zohran Mamdani, Whoopi Goldberg just wrote another chapter in her comical relationship with The View's studio audience.—
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The snow was shushing off the roof of the garage and down on the driveway.—
Verb
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There’s plenty to like about both veteran pitchers and reason to believe that competing in a home run-suppressing environment will allow their attributes to play up.—
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Foulk argued Barrett was suppressing evidence by preventing the state from presenting certain tax returns and Illinois Department of Revenue testimony.—
Verb
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Dave Chappelle – Live July 14, 2023 Comedy at this scale functions strangely — a stadium quieting itself to hear one person think out loud.—
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Gilma Pereda was having trouble quieting her brain.—
Verb
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This potency can be a good thing for quelling inflammation—but also calls for caution.—
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But the sentiment — quelling a craving, fueling a fervor, feeding the psychic hunger of a fanbase famished for reasons to celebrate ostentatiously — is applicable more broadly, too.—
Verb
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For much of the past year, neither side was willing to budge much from their respective stance, effectively muting any chance of a settlement.—
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The shell has enough shape to ease pressure on bony spots of the foot, and the liner offers just enough cushion to keep toes warm and circulation flowing, without muting feedback.—
Verb
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As the representative for the armed wing of a human empire, you're tasked with subduing these Lovecraftian abominations and securing a foothold for humanity on alien worlds.—
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The past two months of mostly sideways churn within 3% of record highs for the S & P 500 has helped to rebalance the market, puncturing the aggressive sense of destiny around many AI plays, subduing some speculative misbehavior and allowing valuations to settle.—
Verb
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There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.—
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Unfortunately, the austerity and elegance of the downstairs dining room acts as a dampener, hushing the salad’s brashness and sapping much of the fun.—
Verb
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His name has been associated with police operations carried out in the context of protests, detentions, and crowd-control actions executed by the PNB, a force that since its creation has played a central role in repressing political dissent.—
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Despite these differences, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is resorting to a familiar playbook for repressing protests, blending a passing acknowledgement of his system’s shortcomings with maximum deflection and defiance.—
Cite this Entry
“Silencing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silencing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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