mute
silent; refraining from speech or utterance.
not emitting or having sound of any kind.
incapable of speech (offensive when applied to humans): Animals are mute and are only able to speak in fairy tales and fables.
(of letters) silent; not pronounced: The mute “e” in the word “dime” makes the preceding vowel long, so it is not pronounced like “dim.”
Law. (of a person who has been arraigned) making no plea or giving an irrelevant response when arraigned, or refusing to stand trial (used chiefly in the phrase to stand mute).
Fox Hunting. (of a hound) hunting a line without giving tongue or cry.
Offensive. a person incapable of speech.
an actor whose part is confined to dumb show.
Law. a person who stands mute when arraigned.
Also called sordino . a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.
Phonetics. (especially in older use) stop (def. 34b).
British Obsolete. a hired mourner at a funeral; a professional mourner.
to deaden or muffle the sound of: The music was a little muted by distance and the trees.
to turn off (a microphone, a speaker, or audio):During the commercials, they muted the TV and discussed the game.Check the mic icon to make sure you're not muted.
to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color.
to soften or subdue; moderate: His happiness about returning to the United States was muted by his concern for the other hostages.
Origin of mute
1usage note For mute
Opposites for mute
Other words from mute
- mute·ly, adverb
- mute·ness, noun
Words that may be confused with mute
- moot, mute
Words Nearby mute
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use mute in a sentence
Face-swapped onto an actor, it muted the actor’s expressions.
Inside the strange new world of being a deepfake actor | Karen Hao | October 9, 2020 | MIT Technology ReviewThe limits of a mute buttonTrump has made unpredictability part of his political brand, which Schroeder pegged as the source for many of the current debate challenges.
The first presidential debate was chaotic. Here’s why improving the next one will be tough. | Kim Bellware | October 1, 2020 | Washington PostWith the launch of Soundtrack by Twitch, music will be separated into its own audio channel so creators can play the tracks without being worried about muting or receiving strikes against their channel.
Twitch launches a rights-cleared music catalog for streamers, Soundtrack by Twitch | Sarah Perez | September 30, 2020 | TechCrunchThe feature, which has been in development over the past year, is meant to not only make it easier to find rights-cleared music, but also to address the ongoing issues creators face with having their archives muted.
Twitch launches a rights-cleared music catalog for streamers, Soundtrack by Twitch | Sarah Perez | September 30, 2020 | TechCrunchOverall, consumer spending will be muted this holiday season compared with last year, making it paramount for brick-and-mortar retailers to be at the top of their e-commerce game.
Holiday season hiring at Target, Walmart shows shifting focus to e-commerce | Phil Wahba | September 24, 2020 | Fortune
Holmes played a similar mute role in her marriage to Cruise.
How Can Katie Holmes Escape Tom Cruise—and ‘Dawson’s Creek’? | Tim Teeman | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTShould Courage give up her war profiteering and settle down to run an honest pub—even if it means abandoning her mute girl?
The same thing happens when her mute daughter, the sweet Kattrin, is shot as she tries to warn a hamlet of impending slaughter.
There had already been a documentary on the case that aimed to do just that, as if killing the messenger would mute the message.
What It's Like to Watch Kate Beckinsale Play You in a Movie | Barbie Latza Nadeau | September 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI presume most Republicans will be clever enough to mute impeachment talk before November.
There was a pause, during which Blanche went through a little mute exhibition of amazement and pleasure.
Confidence | Henry JamesHer face wore a look of distress, almost of alarm; she kept her place, but her eyes gave Bernard a mute welcome.
Confidence | Henry JamesThe unmarked e represents the French é, as the e mute is unknown to the Provençal.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred DownerHe has not courage to proceed; he is mute with grief; he awaits the dreadful recital, and the audience awaits it also.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10) | Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)And straightway I saw that the insect stretched forth its slender arm toward Heaven; mysterious, mute, earnest, it was praying.
Frdric Mistral | Charles Alfred Downer
British Dictionary definitions for mute (1 of 2)
/ (mjuːt) /
not giving out sound or speech; silent
unable to speak; dumb
unspoken or unexpressed: mute dislike
law (of a person arraigned on indictment) refusing to answer a charge
phonetics another word for plosive
(of a letter in a word) silent
a person who is unable to speak
law a person who refuses to plead when arraigned on indictment for an offence
any of various devices used to soften the tone of stringed or brass instruments
phonetics a plosive consonant; stop
a silent letter
an actor in a dumb show
a hired mourner at a funeral
to reduce the volume of (a musical instrument) by means of a mute, soft pedal, etc
to subdue the strength of (a colour, tone, lighting, etc)
Origin of mute
1usage For mute
Derived forms of mute
- mutely, adverb
- muteness, noun
British Dictionary definitions for mute (2 of 2)
/ (mjuːt) archaic /
(of birds) to discharge (faeces)
birds' faeces
Origin of mute
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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