Standard Lemma guide

silencer

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S AY1 L AH0 N S ER2 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Something that silences or (notionally) nearly silences.

An attachment to a gun that reduces the sound it emits.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suppressor

Antonyms: loudener

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that silences or (notionally) nearly silences.

The muffler of an internal combustion engine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Something that silences or (notionally) nearly silences.

Any of various devices to silence the humming noise of telegraph wires.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Something that silences or (notionally) nearly silences.

Something that prevents or greatly reduces gene expression.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, genetics, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a tubular acoustic device inserted in the exhaust system that is designed to reduce noise

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: muffler

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: acoustic device

6

noun

Meaning 6

short tube attached to the muzzle of a gun that deadens the sound of firing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tube, tubing

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English silence Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English silencer From silence + -er.

Across languages

Translations

60 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: كَاتِم (kātim) — attachment
  • Arabic: كَاتِم الصَّوْت (kātim aṣ-ṣawt) — attachment
  • Belarusian: глушы́цель (hlušýcjelʹ) — attachment
  • Bulgarian: заглуши́тел (zaglušítel) — attachment
  • Catalan: silenciador — attachment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 消聲器 /消声器 (xiāoshēngqì) — attachment
  • Chinese Mandarin: 消音器 (xiāoyīnqì) — attachment
  • Czech: tlumič — attachment
  • Danish: lyddæmper — attachment
  • Danish: lydpotte — attachment
  • Dutch: demper — attachment
  • Dutch: geluiddemper — attachment
  • Finnish: äänenvaimennin — attachment
  • French: silencieux — attachment
  • Georgian: მაყუჩი (maq̇uči) — attachment
  • German: Schalldämpfer — attachment
  • Greek: σιγαστήρας (sigastíras) — attachment
  • Hebrew: מַשׁתֵּק (mashték) — attachment
  • Hungarian: hangtompító — attachment
  • Irish: ciúnadóir — attachment
  • Italian: silenziatore — attachment
  • Japanese: 消音器 (shōonki) — attachment
  • Japanese: サイレンサー (sairensā) — attachment
  • Japanese: マフラー (mafurā) — attachment
  • Korean: 소음기 (so'eumgi) — attachment
  • Korean: 머플러 (meopeulleo) — attachment
  • Latvian: slāpētājs — attachment
  • Latvian: klusinātājs — attachment
  • Macedonian: приду́шувач (pridúšuvač) — attachment
  • Macedonian: пригу́шувач (prigúšuvač) — attachment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lyddemper — attachment
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lydpotte — attachment
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lyddempar — attachment
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lydpotte — attachment
  • Polish: tłumik — attachment
  • Portuguese: silenciador — attachment
  • Romanian: amortizor — attachment
  • Russian: глуши́тель (glušítelʹ) — attachment
  • Sardinian: amudadore — attachment
  • Serbo-Croatian: ауспух — attachment
  • Serbo-Croatian: auspuh — attachment
  • Spanish: silenciador — attachment
  • Spanish: silencioso — attachment
  • Swedish: ljuddämpare — attachment
  • Tagalog: silensyador — attachment
  • Tagalog: pang-alis-ingay — attachment
  • Tagalog: pamatay-tunog — attachment
  • Turkish: susturucu — attachment
  • Ukrainian: глушни́к (hlušnýk) — attachment
  • Welsh: distawydd — attachment
  • Dutch: geluiddemper — something that silences another thing
  • Estonian: summuti — something that silences another thing
  • Finnish: äänenvaimennin — something that silences another thing
  • Georgian: გამაჩუმებელი (gamačumebeli) — something that silences another thing
  • Italian: marmitta — something that silences another thing
  • Italian: silenziatore — something that silences another thing
  • Portuguese: silenciador — something that silences another thing
  • Serbo-Croatian: prigušivač — something that silences another thing
  • Spanish: silenciador — something that silences another thing
  • Tagalog: pamatay-tunog — something that silences another thing