Word
silencing
Phoneticssi·lenc·ing
US/ˈsaɪɫənsɪŋ/
UK/sˈaɪlənsɪŋ/
Definition
v. to stop someone from speaking or to prevent a sound from being heard. You use this when someone is forced to be quiet or when a noise is blocked out.
v. the present participle of 'silence'; refers to the act of suppressing speech, preventing the expression of opinions, or muting a sound. Often used metaphorically in political contexts to describe the suppression of dissent.
Examples
“The government is silencing its critics.”
“The new law was criticized for silencing local journalists who were trying to report on corruption.”
“By silencing the opposition through restrictive media policies, the regime managed to maintain a facade of national unity during the election cycle.”
Examples
simple
“The government is silencing its critics.”
contextual
“The new law was criticized for silencing local journalists who were trying to report on corruption.”
complex
“By silencing the opposition through restrictive media policies, the regime managed to maintain a facade of national unity during the election cycle.”
Usage
As a transitive verb, it requires a direct object representing the person, group, or sound being suppressed.
Pitfall
The silencing of the crowd was impressive.
The silence of the crowd was impressive.
Learners often use the gerund 'silencing' (the act of making quiet) when they mean the noun 'silence' (the state of being quiet).
Real-World Examples
“A skied left-footed effort was the closest he came to silencing the heckles.” “Because this was a proof-of-concept study aimed at silencing Can f 1 in dogs, the researchers could not be certain whether the genetic change might have any negative effects on the dogs' health.” Scan code
englishreference.com/q/silencing