silence
♦ si|lence /s'aɪləns/ (silences silencing silenced)
1 [N-VAR] oft in/of N
If there is silence, nobody is speaking.
They stood in silence...
He never lets those long silences develop during dinner...
Then he bellowed `Silence!'
2 [N-UNCOUNT] oft the N of n
The silence of a place is the extreme quietness there.
She breathed deeply, savouring the silence.
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft poss N
Someone's silence about something is their failure or refusal to speak to other people about it.
The district court ruled that Popper's silence in court today should be entered as a plea of not guilty.
[PHRASE] V inflects
If someone breaks their silence about something, they talk about something that they have not talked about before or for a long time.
Gary decided to break his silence about his son's suffering in the hope of helping other families.
4 [VERB] V n
To silence someone or something means to stop them speaking or making a noise.
A ringing phone silenced her...
5 [VERB] V n
If someone silences you, they stop you expressing opinions that they do not agree with.
Like other tyrants, he tried to silence anyone who spoke out against him.
1 [N-VAR] oft in/of N
If there is silence, nobody is speaking.
They stood in silence...
He never lets those long silences develop during dinner...
Then he bellowed `Silence!'
2 [N-UNCOUNT] oft the N of n
The silence of a place is the extreme quietness there.
She breathed deeply, savouring the silence.
3 [N-UNCOUNT] oft poss N
Someone's silence about something is their failure or refusal to speak to other people about it.
The district court ruled that Popper's silence in court today should be entered as a plea of not guilty.
[PHRASE] V inflects
If someone breaks their silence about something, they talk about something that they have not talked about before or for a long time.
Gary decided to break his silence about his son's suffering in the hope of helping other families.
4 [VERB] V n
To silence someone or something means to stop them speaking or making a noise.
A ringing phone silenced her...
5 [VERB] V n
If someone silences you, they stop you expressing opinions that they do not agree with.
Like other tyrants, he tried to silence anyone who spoke out against him.