ENGLISH
REFERENCE

mute

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈmjut// UK //mjˈuːt// mute Archaic

v. to turn off the sound on a device or stop someone from speaking. You use this when you want to watch a video in silence or hide someone's posts on social media.

v. to silence the audio output of a device or to suppress the visibility of a user's content on a digital platform without unfollowing them. Often describes the action of making something silent or less intense.


SIMPLE

I always mute the commercials while watching TV.

CONTEXTUAL

If you find a group chat too distracting during work hours, you can mute the notifications until the evening.

COMPLEX

The moderator had to mute several participants who were speaking over each other, ensuring the digital town hall remained productive and respectful for all attendees.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English muet, from Anglo-Norman muet, moet, Middle French muet, from mu (“dumb, mute”) + -et, remodelled after Latin mūtus.

Etymology 2

From Middle French muetir, probably a shortened form of esmeutir, ultimately from Proto-Germanic.

Etymology 3

From Latin mutare (“to change”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

Pitfall

I muted to the televisionI muted the televisionMute is a transitive verb and does not require a preposition before the object.

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