noun
plural -lences
[noncount] :a lack of sound or noise :quiet
a situation, state, or period of time in which people do not talk [noncount]
a situation or state in which someone does not talk about or answer questions about something [noncount]
deafening silence
silence is golden
used to say that it is often better to remain silent than to speak;
verb
-lences; -lenced; -lencing
[+ obj] to cause (someone or something) to stop speaking or making noise :to cause (someone or something) to become silent
to stop (someone) from expressing opinions that are opposed to your own or from telling people about bad things that you have done
to stop (something) from being expressed or revealed :suppress