mute

Formsmutes, muting, muted

Formsmuter, mutest

Pluralmutes

1. 1
   verbtransitive

   To switch off the sound of something, like a TV or phone.

   Like pressing a button so a noisy toy goes quiet.

   I muted the TV during the commercials.

   Please mute your microphone when you're not talking.

   Similarsilence

   Oppositeunmute

   Note
2. 2
   adjective

   Completely quiet, with no sound at all.

   Like a room so quiet you can hear a pin drop.

   The crowd stayed mute as the verdict was read.

   He gave a mute nod instead of answering.

   Similarsilent, speechless, wordless, quiet

   Oppositevocal, loud, noisy

   Note
3. 3
   adjective

   Not able to speak.

   She was born mute but communicates fluently with sign language.

   The injury left him mute for several weeks.

   Similarvoiceless

   Note
4. 4
   verbtransitive

   To make someone or something quiet or silent.

   Like putting a pillow over a speaker to soften the sound.

   The thick walls muted the noise from the busy street.

   Heavy snow seemed to mute every sound in the village.

   Similarmuffle, silence, deaden, dampen, stifle

   Oppositeamplify, intensify

5. 5
   nouncountable

   A button or control that turns off the sound.

   Like a switch that makes a sound disappear with one press.

   He hit the mute on the remote to silence the ad.

   The mute on this headset is easy to reach.

   Note
6. 6
   nouncountable

   A person who cannot speak.

   The character is a mute who tells the whole story through gestures.

   In the play, the mute communicates only with her hands.

7. 7
   nouncountable

   A device that softens or quiets the sound of a musical instrument.

   Like a soft cover that makes a horn sound gentler.

   The trumpeter slid a mute into the bell of his horn.

   She used a mute so she could play softly late at night.

   Similardamper

   Note
8. 8
   adjective

   Not spoken aloud, like a letter you write but do not say.

   Like the silent 'b' in 'thumb' that you never hear.

   The 'k' in 'knife' is mute.

   Many English words contain a mute letter.

   Similarsilent, unpronounced

   Oppositepronounced

   Note
9. 9
   nouncountable

   A large white swan with an orange and black bill.

   A pair of mutes glided slowly across the lake.

   The mute built its nest among the reeds.

   Note
10. 10
    adjective

    Not making a ringing sound when you hit it.

    Like tapping a cracked glass that gives a dull thud instead of a clear ring.

    The cracked bell was mute when the hammer fell.

    A flawed coin sounds mute instead of ringing clearly.

    Similardull, dead

    Oppositeresonant, ringing

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