Definition of Silence
1. Noun. The state of being silent (as when no one is speaking). "He gestured for silence"
2. Verb. Cause to be quiet or not talk. "Please silence the children in the church!"
Specialized synonyms: Shush, Calm Down, Lull, Shout Down, Gag, Muzzle
Causes: Hush
Generic synonyms: Conquer, Curb, Inhibit, Stamp Down, Subdue, Suppress
Related verbs: Hush, Pipe Down, Quiesce, Quiet, Quiet Down, Quieten
Derivative terms: Hush, Silencer, Silencer, Still
Also: Hush Up
Antonyms: Louden
3. Noun. The absence of sound. "The street was quiet"
Specialized synonyms: Hush, Still, Stillness, Speechlessness, Quietness, Soundlessness
Generic synonyms: Sound Property
Derivative terms: Quiet, Silent
Antonyms: Sound
4. Verb. Keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure. "All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed power"
5. Noun. A refusal to speak when expected. "His silence about my contribution was surprising"
6. Noun. The trait of keeping things secret.
Generic synonyms: Uncommunicativeness
Specialized synonyms: Mum
Derivative terms: Secretive
Definition of Silence
1. n. The state of being silent; entire absence of sound or noise; absolute stillness.
2. interj. Be silent; -- used elliptically for let there be silence, or keep silence.
3. v. t. To compel to silence; to cause to be still; to still; to hush.
Definition of Silence
1. Noun. The lack of any sound. ¹
2. Noun. Form of meditative worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers); meeting for worship. ¹
3. Noun. The action of refraining from speaking. ¹
4. Verb. To make something silent. ¹
5. Verb. To suppress criticism etc. ¹
6. Verb. (context: Molecular biology) To block gene expression. ¹
7. Interjection. be quiet ¹
¹ Source: wiktionary.com
Definition of Silence
1. to make silent [v -LENCED, -LENCING, -LENCES] - See also: silent
Medical Definition of Silence
1. 1. To compel to silence; to cause to be still; to still; to hush. "Silence that dreadful bell; it frights the isle." (Shak) 2. To put to rest; to quiet. "This would silence all further opposition." (Clarendon) "These would have silenced their scruples." (Rogers) 3. To restrain from the exercise of any function, privilege of instruction, or the like, especially from the act of preaching; as, to silence a minister of the gospel. "The Rev. Thomas Hooker of Chelmsford, in Essex, was silenced for nonconformity." (B. Trumbull) 4. To cause to cease firing, as by a vigorous cannonade; as, to silence the batteries of an enemy. Origin: Silenced; Silencing. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Silence
Literary usage of Silence
Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:
1. The Montessori Method: Scientific Pedagogy as Applied to Child Education in by Maria Montessori, Anne E. George, Henry Wyman Holmes (1912)
"A Lesson in silence I am about to describe a lesson which proved most successful
in teaching the perfect silence to which it is possible to attain. ..."
2. Songs and Satires by Edgar Lee Masters (1916)
"SONGS AND SATIRES silence I have known the silence of the stars and of the sea,
And the silence of the city when it pauses, And the silence of a man and a ..."
3. Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot (1873)
"I meant to go away into silence, but I have not been able to do what I meant.
... There was silence. Dorothea's heart was full of something that she wanted ..."
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