muffle

verb

muf·​fle ˈmə-fəl 

muffled; muffling ˈmə-f(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to wrap up so as to conceal or protect : envelop

2

obsolete : blindfold

3

a

: to wrap or pad with something to dull the sound

muffle the oarlocks

b

: to deaden the sound of

4

: keep down, suppress

muffled her anger

Synonyms

• mute
• stifle

Examples of muffle in a Sentence

They tried to muffle the noise.

I could hear their muffled voices from the next room.

Recent Examples on the Web

In testing, Dyson's noise cancellation effectively muffled out most distracting sounds, including street noise, the rumble of subway trains, and music in a coffee shop. —PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Incessant and nerve-shattering, the cacophony of the sounds of war — shelling, air-raid alarms, explosions — has seemingly muffled the voices of those under Russian attack in Ukraine. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024

The Kims, a family struggling to make ends meet, set their scheming sights on the Parks, a well-to-do family with plenty of problems of their own, but also plenty of money to muffle their dysfunction. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 29 Oct. 2024

The Sonos Ace do an excellent job muffling ambient noise on airplanes. —Prakhar Khanna, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English muflen

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

muffle

verb

muf·​fle ˈməf-əl 

muffled; muffling ˈməf-(ə-)liŋ 

1

: to wrap up so as to conceal or protect

2

: to deaden the sound of

muffle a cry