SILENCE

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does silence mean? 

• SILENCE (noun)
  The noun SILENCE has 4 senses:

1. the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

2. the absence of sound

3. a refusal to speak when expected

4. the trait of keeping things secret

  Familiarity information: SILENCE used as a noun is uncommon.

• SILENCE (verb)
  The verb SILENCE has 2 senses:

1. cause to be quiet or not talk

2. keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure

  Familiarity information: SILENCE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SILENCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The state of being silent (as when no one is speaking)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

he gestured for silence

Hypernyms ("silence" is a kind of...):

condition; status (a state at a particular time)

Derivation:

silence (cause to be quiet or not talk)

silent (marked by absence of sound)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The absence of sound

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

quiet; silence

Context example:

the street was quiet

Hypernyms ("silence" is a kind of...):

sound property (an attribute of sound)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "silence"):

hush; still; stillness ((poetic) tranquil silence)

speechlessness (the property of being speechless)

quietness; soundlessness (the property of making no sound)

Antonym:

sound (the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause)

Derivation:

silence (cause to be quiet or not talk)

silent (marked by absence of sound)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A refusal to speak when expected

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

muteness; silence

Context example:

his silence about my contribution was surprising

Hypernyms ("silence" is a kind of...):

uncommunicativeness (the trait of being uncommunicative)

Derivation:

silence (cause to be quiet or not talk)

silent (failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The trait of keeping things secret

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

secrecy; secretiveness; silence

Hypernyms ("silence" is a kind of...):

uncommunicativeness (the trait of being uncommunicative)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "silence"):

mum (secrecy)

Derivation:

silence (keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure)

• SILENCE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they silence    ... he / she / it silences   
Past simple: silenced   
Past participle: silenced   
-ing form: silencing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to be quiet or not talk

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

hush; hush up; quieten; shut up; silence; still

Context example:

Please silence the children in the church!

Hypernyms (to "silence" is one way to...):

conquer; stamp down; subdue; suppress (bring under control by force or authority)

Cause:

hush (become quiet or still; fall silent)

Verb group:

hush; pipe down; quiesce; quiet; quiet down; quieten (become quiet or quieter)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "silence"):

shush (silence (someone) by uttering 'shush!')

calm down; lull (become quiet or less intensive)

shout down (silence or overwhelm by shouting)

gag; muzzle (prevent from speaking out)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

silence (a refusal to speak when expected)

silence (the absence of sound)

silence (the state of being silent (as when no one is speaking))

silencer (a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise)

silencer (short tube attached to the muzzle of a gun that deadens the sound of firing)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Keep from expression, for example by threats or pressure

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

All dissenters were silenced when the dictator assumed power

Hypernyms (to "silence" is one way to...):

conquer; stamp down; subdue; suppress (bring under control by force or authority)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Derivation:

silence (the trait of keeping things secret)

 Context examples 

After a long silence, she resumed, still whispering—I am very happy, Jane; and when you hear that I am dead, you must be sure and not grieve: there is nothing to grieve about.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Polycomb group genes are involved in chromatin based gene silencing and gene repression.

(Chromatin Remodeling Factor, NCI Thesaurus)

Mutation or silencing of the gene is associated with multiple cancers.

(CHFR wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in RNA binding and gene silencing.

(EIF2C1 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

This allele, which encodes protein argonaute-1, plays a role in the modulation of RNA-mediated gene silencing.

(EIF2C1 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein is involved in chromatin silencing, transcriptional regulation and histone deacetylation.

(Histone Deacetylase 5, NCI Thesaurus)

This protein plays a role in both histone acetylation and chromatin silencing.

(Histone Acetyltransferase Type B Catalytic Subunit, NCI Thesaurus)

This process is initiated by the formation of heterochromatin which ultimately leads to transcriptional inactivation or silencing.

(Epigenetic Silencing, NCI Thesaurus)

This gene is involved in translational silencing.

(EIF2C3 Gene, NCI Thesaurus)

A protein family that is comprised of the catalytic components of the RNA-induced silencing complex.

(Argonaute, NCI Thesaurus)