SILENCE


Meaning of SILENCE in English

/ ˈsaɪləns; NAmE / noun , verb , exclamation

■ noun

1.

[ U ] a complete lack of noise or sound

SYN quiet :

Their footsteps echoed in the silence.

A scream broke the silence of the night.

I need absolute silence when I'm working.

2.

[ C , U ] a situation when nobody is speaking :

an embarrassed / awkward silence

a moment's stunned silence

I got used to his long silences.

They finished their meal in total silence .

She lapsed into silence again.

There was a deafening silence (= one that is very noticeable) .

a two-minute silence in honour of those who had died

3.

[ U , sing. ] silence (on sth) a situation in which sb refuses to talk about sth or to answer questions :

She broke her public silence in a TV interview.

The company's silence on the subject has been taken as an admission of guilt.

the right to silence (= the legal right not to say anything when you are arrested)

There is a conspiracy of silence about what is happening (= everyone has agreed not to discuss it) .

4.

[ U ] a situation in which people do not communicate with each other by letter or telephone :

The phone call came after months of silence.

IDIOMS

- silence is golden

—more at pregnant

■ verb [ vn ]

1.

to make sb/sth stop speaking or making a noise :

She silenced him with a glare.

Our bombs silenced the enemy's guns (= they destroyed them) .

2.

to make sb stop expressing opinions that are opposed to yours :

All protest had been silenced.

Her recent achievements have silenced her critics.

IDIOMS

see heavy adjective

■ exclamation

( formal ) used to tell people to be quiet :

Silence in court!

••

WORD ORIGIN

Middle English : from Old French , from Latin silentium , from silere be silent.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.