What does "muffle" mean?
Anything that mutes or deadens sound.
Muffle
/mʌfl̩/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Anything that mutes or deadens sound.
- Grammar: muffle is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: acoustic tile, antiknock, antlia, apply.
- Useful contrasts: booming, resounding, unsilenced.
- Usage evidence: Sami used a pillow to muffle the sound of his gun.
How to use "muffle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "muffle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "muffle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "muffle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "muffle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "muffle" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "acoustic tile" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "muffle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Anything that mutes or deadens sound.
- 2 a kiln with an inner chamber for firing things at a low temperature wordnet
- 3 A warm piece of clothing for the hands.
- 4 A boxing glove. archaic, slang
"N.B.—Mr Broughton proposes, with proper assistance, to open an academy at his house in the Haymarket, for the instruction of those who are willing to be initiated in the mystery of boxing: […] muffles are provided, that will effectually secure them from the inconveniency of black eyes, broken jaws, and bloody noses."
- 5 A kiln or furnace, often electric, with no direct flames (a muffle furnace)
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- 6 The bare end of the nose between the nostrils, especially in ruminants.
- 7 A machine with two pulleys to hoist load by spinning wheels, polyspast, block and tackle.
"Between the two pulleys c, c¹, and around the shaft a, is a muffle d, which receives at both ends the rounded heads of three, four, five, or more screws f, which act as levers. The levers are formed of a right and lefthanded screw, f, and f¹. The two screws are united together by means of a nut g, so that, by turning it, they are lengthened or shortened. The heads of the upper screws f¹, act upon the blocks e, e¹, contained in boxes supported by the plates h, h¹, through the centre of which passes the shaft a. These plates h, h¹, are fixed on the shaft a; they are of a smaller diameter than the inside of the pulleys c, c¹; their object is to keep the blocks e, e¹, from twisting. By moving the muffle d, to the left, the levers or screws f, f, will force the blocks e, to bear against the inside of the pulley c, placed on that side. The motion of this pulley will cause the muffle d, and consequently the shaft a, to revolve. By pushing the muffle d, on the opposite side, the blocks e, will depress the pulley c, and the blocks e¹, will bear against the pulley c¹, the band of which being crossed, will cause the shaft a, to revolve in a reverse direction. This shaft being furnished with a pinion, will transmit to a toothed wheel or rack, a motion in both directions at the desired instant, since it is only necessary to give the muffle d, a lateral movement from right to left, or from left to right, by means of a fork which acts on the part b. By placing the muffle d, half way between the two pullies c, and c¹, the blocks e, and e¹, will release the said pullies, and the shaft a, will be motionless. The patentee claims, ”the characteristic principle of the mechanical combination herein described, applicable to all cases where it may be useful, by varying the shapes or dimensions according to the power of the machines to which they may be applied.”"
Verb
- 1 To wrap (a person, face etc.) in fabric or another covering, for warmth or protection; often with up. transitive
"The face lies muffled up within the garment."
- 2 suppress in order to conceal or hide wordnet
- 3 To wrap up or cover (a source of noise) in order to deaden the sound. transitive
"to muffle the strings of a drum, or that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock"
- 4 deaden (a sound or noise), especially by wrapping wordnet
- 5 To mute or deaden (a sound etc.). transitive
"The singer's voice was muffled by the thick walls, yet Tyrion knew the verse."
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- 6 To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation. dated, intransitive
- 7 To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen. dated, transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Sami used a pillow to muffle the sound of his gun."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "muffle"?
Common synonyms include: acoustic tile, antiknock, antlia, apply, apply to, baffle.
How do you use "muffle" in a sentence?
Sami used a pillow to muffle the sound of his gun.
How do you pronounce "muffle"?
Pronounced /mʌfl̩/.
Etymology
From Middle English muflen (“to muffle”), aphetic alteration of Anglo-Norman amoufler, from Old French enmoufler (“to wrap up, muffle”), from moufle (“mitten”), from Medieval Latin muffula (“a muff”), of Germanic origin (—first recorded in the Capitulary of Aachen in 817 C.E.), from Frankish *muffël (“a muff, wrap, envelope”) from *mauwa (“sleeve, wrap”) (from Proto-Germanic *mawwō (“sleeve”)) + *vël (“skin, hide”) (from Proto-Germanic *fellą (“skin, film, fleece”). Alternate etymology traces the Medieval Latin word to Frankish *molfell (“soft garment made of hide”) from *mol (“softened, forworn”) (akin to Old High German molawēn (“to soften”), Middle High German molwic (“soft”), English mulch) + *fell (“hide, skin”).