silence

CEFRA2

/ˈsaɪ̯ləns/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A complete lack of sound; to make someone stop speaking.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    Refraining from speaking, for purposes of prayer or meditation; especially, a form of worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers) during meetings.

Examples

  • I take it from your silence that you are not satisfied with my answer.

  • Speech is silver, but silence is golden.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈsaɪ̯ləns] ~ [ˈsaɪ̯ln̩s]

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The act of refraining from speaking.

  2. The absence of any sound.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To make (someone or something) silent.

More examples

In context

  • Their footsteps echoed in the silence.

  • When the motor stopped, the silence was almost deafening.

  • deadly silence

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

After the loud explosion, there was an eerie blank that lasted for minutes.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.