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Glite Dictionary
🔇 To make quieter 🏺 A special kiln
to muffle

to muffle

64 5.8
To make a sound or feeling quieter so it is less noticeable
  • verb
  • /ˈmʌfəl/
translation icon : amortiguar
  • "Who goes there?" I shouted, but my voice was muffled inside the wide hood of my parka.
  • muffled sound
  • muffled voice

And yet, as I explore this topic, there are many Nigerian voices that are muffled and muted.

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Examples

  • She held her hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter during the serious meeting.

  • "The World Cup had served to 'muffle' the reality of the Argentine situation."

    Academic text (1994)

  • Any attempt to muffle it or to leave it out would be to lose a great deal.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The traffic noise from the avenue was slightly muffled now by the snow.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • Someone spoke behind him, but the words were muffled by static and distance.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • "Not now, later," she spoke up, her voice muffled by carpet, drapes, and afghans.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Johanna quickly crept to her room, closed the door, and muffled her weeping in the pillow.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • A formidable clap of thunder rumbled through the sky and vanished, with muffled echoes, in the distance.

    Academic text (2004)

  • He put on a headset to muffle the loud sounds of the construction outside.

  • The thick curtains were meant to muffle the noise from the busy street below.

Synonyms

to silence
vsto muffle
169 3.5

To stop someone from speaking or making noise

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to repress
vsto muffle
75 6.6

Keep strong feelings or memories from coming into the mind

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to quiet
vsto muffle
68 3.2

To make someone or something calm and less noisy

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to stifle
vsto muffle
49 5.3

To hold back a feeling or reaction so it does not show

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to tone down
vsto muffle
44 3.7

To make something less strong, for example a sound, color or feeling

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to quiet down
vsto muffle
  • Informal
42 2.0

Make people or things less noisy and less active

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to smother
vsto muffle
39 6.0

To stop a feeling or sound from being shown

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to hush
vsto muffle
33 3.4

Make a person or thing quiet so others stop making noise

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to dull
vsto muffle
33 3.4

Cause something to become less sharp, strong or bright

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to damp
vsto muffle
26 4.8

To make a sound or feeling less strong

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to mute
vsto muffle
21 3.1

To stop a sound or notification from making noise

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to dampen
vsto muffle
16 4.4

Make something less strong or noticeable, for example sound and feeling

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to tamp down
vsto muffle
5 5.7

Reduce the strength of feelings or public anger

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to quieten
vsto muffle
3 4.6

Make someone or something less noisy and calmer

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to hush up
vsto muffle
  • Informal
2 5.0

Make someone stop talking and be quiet

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to deaden
vsto muffle
1 6.1

To make an outline, sound, or feeling less clear

reduces sound or feeling without always removing it completely
to baffle
vsto muffle
  • Specialized
1 7.5

To use a barrier to reduce sound or fluid flow

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it
to keep (someone's) voice down
vsto muffle
  • Informal
3.4

Speak quietly so you do not disturb others

reduces sound or feeling often by covering or softening it

Antonyms

to express
∞ 2.3

To show ideas and feelings by words or actions

to amplify
44 4.1

To make something larger, stronger, or more important

How Quiet

to silence
169 3.5
to stifle
49 5.3
to muffle
64 5.8
to dampen
16 4.4
to soften
50 3.1

Surface Forms

muffle infinitive
muffled past
muffled past participle
muffling present participle
muffles third person singular

Morphology

muffle = muff (semi-transparent) = muff + le

The form appears as 'muff' + '-le' where the idea of wrapping/covering maps onto reducing sound, but the verbal '-le' is not a fully productive or obvious suffix, so learners may only partly infer the meaning.

Etymology

Muffle comes from an old idea of 'to cover' or 'to wrap', the same idea behind words like muff and muffler that cover your hands, neck, or ears, so to muffle a sound is to 'wrap' it and make it quieter.