INDEX:
1. words for describing a place that is quiet
2. when there is little or no noise
3. words for describing music, sounds, or voices that are quiet
4. words for describing people or machines that are quiet
5. to become quieter
6. to make someone or something quieter
7. what you say to someone to tell them to be quiet
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ LOUD
someone who doesn’t talk much : ↑ TALK (13)
when there are not many people or there is not much activity : ↑ BUSY/NOT BUSY
see also
↑ PEACEFUL
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1. words for describing a place that is quiet
▷ quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ [adjective]
if a place is quiet, there is not much noise there :
▪ Inside the church it was quiet and peaceful.
▪ David and I found a quiet corner where we could talk.
▪ I usually work in the dining room because it’s the quietest room in the house.
▷ silent /ˈsaɪlənt/ [adjective]
if a place is silent, there is no noise at all - used especially in stories or descriptions of events :
▪ The streets of the city were silent in the moonlight.
▪ Apart from the humming of the bees, all was silent and still.
▷ you could hear a pin drop /juː kʊd ˌhɪər ə ˈpɪn drɒpǁ-drɑːp/
if you say you could hear a pin drop, you mean it is very quiet, especially because no one is talking, and even a very small sound would be heard clearly :
▪ It was so quiet in the hall you could hear a pin drop.
▪ After he finished telling the story you could have heard a pin drop.
2. when there is little or no noise
▷ silence /ˈsaɪləns/ [countable/uncountable noun]
when there are no sounds at all :
▪ Nothing disturbed the silence of the night.
▪ There was a long silence before anyone answered.
deathly silence
a silence that makes people feel nervous and uncomfortable
▪ ‘What did you do during the war?’ Rob asked. There was a deathly silence, and everyone looked down at the table.
▷ hush /hʌʃ/ [singular/uncountable noun]
a state in which there is little or no noise, especially in a place where people have all suddenly stopped talking - used especially in stories or descriptions of events :
▪ There was a sudden hush as the musicians came onto the stage.
a hush falls/descends
people stop making noise
▪ Two men walked in and went up to the bar. A hush fell over the room.
3. words for describing music, sounds, or voices that are quiet
▷ quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ [adjective]
quiet sounds, voices, or music are not loud :
▪ He spoke in a quiet yet confident voice.
▪ There was a quiet knock at the door.
quietly [adverb]
▪ We were talking quietly so as not to wake the baby.
▷ low /ləʊ/ [adjective]
a low voice or sound is quiet and deep :
▪ A low humming noise was coming from the refrigerator.
in a low voice
speaking quietly
▪ ‘Take care,’ he said in a low voice.
▷ soft /sɒftǁsɔːft/ [adjective]
soft sounds, voices, or music are quiet, gentle, and pleasant :
▪ He spoke with a soft Irish accent.
▪ a whisper so soft that I could scarcely hear it
▪ With candlelight and soft music, you can create a romantic atmosphere in your own home.
softly [adverb]
▪ Music was playing softly in the background.
▪ Through the open doorway, he could hear someone singing softly.
▷ muffled /ˈmʌf ə ld/ [adjective]
muffled voices or sounds are quiet and unclear, especially because they come from behind a wall or door :
▪ We heard muffled shouts and screams from the bar below.
▪ His voice was muffled, ‘I’m in the bathroom. I’m stuck.’
▷ hushed /hʌʃt/ [adjective usually before noun]
a hushed voice, conversation, crowd etc is intentionally quiet, for example because someone is afraid of being heard or because they are waiting for some important news :
▪ Two men in dark suits were having a hushed conversation in the corner.
▪ A hushed congress heard the official declaration of war.
▪ She spoke in a hushed whisper, ‘I think my husband knows about us.’
▷ faint /feɪnt/ [adjective]
a faint sound is quiet and difficult to hear, especially because it comes from a long way away :
▪ Jean opened the window, and heard the faint sound of the bells drifting across the Old Town.
▪ The men went away, and we could hear their voices get fainter and fainter.
▪ There was silence for a moment as they held each other’s eyes, broken only by the faint sound of dance music from down below.
▷ inaudible /ɪnˈɔːdɪb ə l, ɪnˈɔːdəb ə l/ [adjective] formal
inaudible sounds are so quiet that you cannot hear them :
▪ Her voice was so faint, it was almost inaudible.
▪ Michael went bright red, and muttering something inaudible, he walked out of the room.
▪ Aunt Jessica let out an inaudible sigh.
4. words for describing people or machines that are quiet
▷ quiet /ˈkwaɪət/ [adjective]
if someone or something is quiet, they make little or no noise :
▪ I want you all to be very quiet and listen carefully.
▪ Our new washing machine is much quieter than the old one.
quietly [adverb]
▪ The children were reading quietly at their desks.
▷ silent /ˈsaɪlənt/ [adjective] written
not making any sound at all :
▪ The children remained silent and watchful as the police questioned their parents.
▪ The engine is almost silent, even at high speed, and goes like a dream.
fall silent
stop talking
▪ The crowd fell silent as he stood up to speak.
silently [adverb]
▪ Silently, the mist crept closer.
▷ without a sound /wɪðˌaʊt ə ˈsaʊnd/ [adverb]
if you do something or something happens without a sound, you do it or it happens with no noise at all - used especially in stories and descriptions of events :
▪ The animal remained perfectly still, watching us without a sound.
▪ There was a final shudder, and then the ship sank without a sound.
▪ Each man died where he stood; they fell in their tracks without a sound.
▷ not make a sound /nɒt ˌmeɪk ə ˈsaʊnd/ [verb phrase]
to not make any noise at all :
▪ Sit still, and don’t make a sound.
without making a sound
▪ She managed to get into the house without making a sound.
▷ in silence /ɪn ˈsaɪləns/ [adverb] written
if you do something in silence, you do it without speaking :
▪ Thousands of protesters stood in silence outside the prison gates.
▪ We drank our coffee in silence.
in total/complete silence
▪ The two of them walked all the way to Matilda’s house in complete silence.
5. to become quieter
▷ get quieter /get ˈkwaɪətəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ That buzzing noise seems to be getting quieter now.
grow quieter
get quieter gradually
▪ As we walked into the woods the noise of the traffic grew quieter.
▷ go quiet /gəʊ ˈkwaɪət/ [verb phrase] especially British
to stop speaking or making any noise at all, for example because you are shocked or embarrassed :
▪ Lawrence went very quiet after Jo told him how she felt.
▷ die down /ˌdaɪ ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if shouting, music, laughter etc dies down, it gradually becomes quieter after being very loud :
▪ Forrester waited for the laughter to die down, then carried on with his speech.
▪ The music was dying down. The show was over.
die down to
▪ Jessie’s wails died down to a whimper and then stopped altogether.
▷ fade away /ˌfeɪd əˈweɪ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if a sound fades away, it gradually becomes quieter until you cannot hear it any more :
▪ The sound of a police siren was slowly fading away into the distance.
▪ She listened to Zach’s footsteps fade away, as he walked down the staircase.
▷ fall silent /ˌfɔːl ˈsaɪlənt/ [verb phrase]
to suddenly stop talking and become quiet - used in literature and stories :
▪ Dixon fell silent again, deep in thought.
▪ ‘I had hoped ....,’ he began, and then fell silent again.
▪ The bar-room door crashed open and the voices at the tables fell silent.
▷ lower your voice /ˌləʊəʳ jɔːʳ ˈvɔɪs/ [verb phrase]
to speak more quietly because you do not want other people to hear what you are saying :
▪ Kath lowered her voice as she spoke.
6. to make someone or something quieter
▷ quieten somebody down British /quiet somebody down American /ˌkwaɪətn somebody ˈdaʊn, ˌkwaɪət somebody ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make someone quieter and calmer, when they are making a lot of noise because they are angry, excited, or upset :
▪ I spent half the lesson trying to quieten them down.
▪ Sue managed to quiet them both down and eventually stopped the argument.
▷ silence /ˈsaɪləns/ [transitive verb] especially written
to make someone suddenly stop speaking :
▪ I opened my mouth to speak but she silenced me with an angry look.
▪ Partick was livid, but Jane squeezed his arm to silence him.
▷ hush /hʌʃ/ [transitive verb]
to make someone, especially a child, make less noise or make no noise at all, especially by telling them in a quiet voice to stop talking or crying :
▪ I turned to Margaret but was hushed before I could open my mouth.
▪ David hushed me. ‘Sh-h-h. You’re not allowed to speak in here.’
▪ She gave up trying to hush the baby and took him outside.
▷ muffle /ˈmʌf ə l/ [transitive verb]
if something muffles a sound it makes it quieter and less clear :
▪ The snow muffled the sound of the traffic.
▪ He dragged her into the car, putting his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams.
▪ John’s voice was muffled by the door, and I couldn’t tell what he was saying.
▷ turn down /ˌtɜːʳn ˈdaʊn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make a television, radio etc quieter by moving or turning a button or control :
turn something/it/them down
▪ Do you mind turning the radio down?
▪ Turn that music down, you’ll wake the whole street!
turn down something
▪ She turned down the volume on the TV and picked up the phone.
turn something right down British /turn something all the way down
American make it as quiet as possible
▪ No wonder you can’t hear anything -- you’ve turned your hearing aid right down.
▷ shut somebody up /ˌʃʌt somebody ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb] informal
to make someone be quiet, especially by speaking to them rudely or angrily :
▪ Can’t you shut those kids up?
▪ The only way to shut her up is to give her something to eat.
7. what you say to someone to tell them to be quiet
▷ shh /ʃ/ spoken
say shh when you want someone to speak more quietly or make less noise :
▪ Shh, keep the noise down, Timmy’s asleep.
▷ shut up /ˌʃʌt ˈʌp/ informal
a rude way of telling someone to stop talking :
▪ Just shut up, will you! You’re giving me a headache!
shut up about
▪ Don’t tell Grandma or she’ll never shut up about it.
▪ ‘The war, the war, the bloody war!’ said Comfort, banging her fist on the table.‘Why can’t you all shut up about it?’
▷ be quiet /biː ˈkwaɪət/ [verb phrase] spoken
say be quiet to tell someone to stop talking or to make less noise, especially when you are annoyed with them :
▪ ‘Be quiet, James!’ she snapped.
▪ Boys! Can you be quiet please? I can hardly hear myself think.
▷ keep it down /ˌkiːp ɪt ˈdaʊn/
say this when you want someone to speak more quietly or make less noise, especially because you do not want other people to hear them :
▪ Keep it down! I’m trying to talk on the phone!
▪ Hey you guys - keep it down, or Mom’ll hear!