English Dictionary
Definition of “silence”
silence (ˈsaɪləns
)
Definitions
noun
- the state or quality of being silent
- the absence of sound or noise; stillness
- refusal or failure to speak, communicate, etc, when expected ⇒
his silence on the subject of their promotion was alarming
- a period of time without noise
- oblivion or obscurity
verb (tr)
- to bring to silence
- to put a stop to; extinguish ⇒
to silence all complaint
Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin silēntium, from silēre to be quiet. See silent
Quotations
"Silence is the virtue of fools"
Francis Bacon"Silence is more eloquent than words"
Thomas Carlyle"Silence is golden"
"Silence means consent"
Translations
- British English:
silence
If there is silence, it is completely quiet.They stood in silence.ˈsaɪləns NOUN They stood in silence.
- Spanish:
silencio
nm
- French:
silence
nm
- German:
Stille
nf
- Chinese: 沉默 n
- Arabic: صَمْت n
- Portuguese: silêncio nm
- Russian: тишина nf
- Croatian: tišina nf
- Czech: ticho nnt
- Danish: stilhed nutr
- Dutch: stilte nf
- Finnish: hiljaisuus n
- Greek: σιωπή nf
- Italian: silenzio nm
- Japanese: 静けさ n
- Korean: 침묵 n
- Norwegian: stillhet
- Polish: cisza nf
- Brazilian Portuguese: silêncio nm
- European Spanish:
silencio
nm
- Swedish: tystnad nutr
- Thai: ความเงียบ n
- Turkish: sessizlik n
- Vietnamese: sự im lặng n
Usage examples
She lay in bed for a time, listening to the silence , wondering what it meant.
Jennifer Fallon, TREASON KEEP (2001)At the change of over, the uneasy silence returned to the pavilion.
Country Life (2004)In Washington DC, the parade yesterday was preceded by a minute's silence for the victims of the attack.
Irish Times (2002)There, sitting in the enclosed space, are 40-odd other passengers, all American, staring at the undersea drama... in absolute silence.
Glasgow Herald (2001)In the silence of the empty platform I imagined I could almost hear the blood being greedily sucked.
Christopher Ross, TUNNEL VISIONS: Journeys of an Underground Philosopher (2001)
