Word
silence
Phoneticssi·lence, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈsaɪɫəns/
UK/sˈaɪləns/
Definitions
01absence of sound
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. a total lack of noise or sound.
n. the complete absence of audible sound or noise.
日本語:静寂※
Español:silencio
“The deep silence of the forest was only broken by a single bird.”
“An uncomfortable silence settled over the room after the director announced the unexpected budget cuts.”
02not speaking
B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun
n. the state of not talking or refusing to give information.
n. the state of refraining from speech or communication, often deliberate.
日本語:沈黙※
“Her silence on the matter made her friends think she was angry.”
“The prisoner maintained his silence throughout the interrogation, refusing to implicate any of his former associates.”
Synonyms
03to make quiet
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make someone or something stop making noise.
v. to cause a person or object to become silent; to mute an acoustic source.
“He silenced his phone before the movie started.”
“The librarian silenced the rowdy group of students with a single stern look from across the reading room.”
Antonyms
04to suppress
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to stop people from expressing their opinions or criticisms.
v. to suppress or prohibit the expression of ideas, criticism, or dissent.
Español:hacer callar
“The government tried to silence the protesters by closing the newspapers.”
“The corporation attempted to silence the whistleblower through a series of aggressive legal threats and non-disclosure agreements.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “silence” in context.
Verb
01. break the silence
“A loud crash from the kitchen suddenly broke the silence of the night.”
verb + noun
02. maintain silence
“The students were asked to maintain silence during the examination.”
verb + noun
03. sit in silence
“They sat in silence for a long time, processing the difficult news.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
04. awkward silence
“There was an awkward silence after he made the inappropriate joke.”
adj + noun
05. complete silence
“The library was in complete silence except for the sound of turning pages.”
adj + noun
06. stony silence
“Her request for an apology was met with a stony silence from the manager.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. moment of silence
“The crowd observed a moment of silence before the game started.”
noun + of + noun
Preposition
08. in silence
“The mourners stood in silence to pay their respects to the fallen soldiers.”
prep + noun
Real-World Examples
“But there is a difference between choosing words carefully and choosing silence.” “On Wednesday one of them, Luís Figo, decided to break his silence .” Etymology
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
ADVERB
Related words
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/silence
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0