Spanish Conversation · Level 4
87 words
Spanish word
silenciar
Pronunciation
IPA/silenˈθjaɾ/
Meaning
- verbsilence
Example
El profesor silenció a los alumnos con una mirada.
The teacher silenced the students with a look.
More examples
Antes de la reunión, silencié el micrófono.
Before the meeting, I silenced the microphone.
Core concept
A technician unplugging a microphone cable.
Common phrases
silenciar el móvil
silence the phone
silenciar las notificaciones
silence notifications
silenciar el micrófono
silence the microphone
Similar words
callar: Brings another person's speech to an end.
callarse: Keeps oneself silent by stopping one's own speech.
Definition in Spanish
Impedir que alguien exprese palabras o sonidos; verbo transitivo que puede aplicarse tanto a silenciar voces como a apagar ruidos.
Word origin
From Latin silentium (from silēre 'be silent'), Spanish turns the noun into the verb silenciar to mean stopping speech or sound, whether by force or by cutting off a sound source.
Usage tips
- Silenciar is commonly used for devices (silenciar el móvil, silenciar un micro) as well as people, so context decides whether it means muting hardware or suppressing speech.
Other meanings
- muteverb
Opposites
- hablarspeakverb
- amplificaramplifyverb
Related words
- silenciosilencenoun
- silenciososilentadjective
- silenciadosilencedadjective