WordGarden.iomuffle
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /mˈʌfəl/
US
- /ˈməfəl/
Meanings
Verb
to make a sound quieter, duller, or less distinct
to wrap someone or oneself in thick clothing or coverings for warmth
Beyond the definition
Imagine a winter snowfall. It does not remove sound, but it makes everything seem softer and farther away. To muffle something is to make it quieter, duller, or less clear, often by covering it or surrounding it with something soft. You might muffle a cough with your hand, or hear voices muffled by a closed door. It can also mean wrapping someone up against the cold, like muffling a child in a thick scarf before they step outside.
To muffle means to make a sound less loud or less clear, usually by covering it or blocking it in some way. It does not suggest complete silence. Instead, it describes a sound that is still there but softened, dulled, or partly hidden. A cough can be muffled with a sleeve, footsteps can be muffled by thick carpet, and a voice can sound muffled through a wall or under a blanket.
The word also has an older physical sense of wrapping someone up warmly. You can muffle your face in a scarf against a cold wind, or muffle a child in blankets before a winter trip. That idea of covering something closely is at the heart of the word.
Most often, the word is used for sound, but it can also be used more generally for anything made less clear or less direct. Emotions can be muffled, and a reaction can be muffled if someone is trying not to show it openly. In that sense, the word suggests restraint, distance, or partial concealment rather than total removal.
Consider this: "He tried to muffle his sobs" suggests an effort to keep grief from being heard. "Her reply was muffled by the scarf over her mouth" gives the sense of speech becoming hard to hear clearly. Whether it refers to sound, speech, or feeling, muffle usually carries the idea of softening something by covering it, blocking it, or holding it back.
Examples
- 1
Quiet footsteps
The thick carpet muffled his footsteps in the hallway.
- 2
Covered voice
Her voice was muffled by the scarf over her mouth.
- 3
Suppressed cough
He covered his mouth to muffle a cough during the meeting.
- 4
Warm clothing
We were muffled up in coats and hats against the cold.
- Phrasemuffled up
wearing warm clothes that cover you well
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Public criticism
The company tried to muffle criticism of the new policy.
- Patternmuffle criticism/opposition
make it less public or less strong
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- muffleverbnoun
Forms
- muffledpast tenseverbnoun
- muffling-ing formverbnoun
- mufflesverbnoun