mute

UK: /ˈmjuːt/ US: /mjut/ ,(myo̅o̅t)

Inflections of 'mute' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

mutes

v 3rd person singular

muting

v pres p

muted

v past

muted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

mute /myut/   adj., mut•er, mut•est, n., v., mut•ed, mut•ing. 
adj. 

1. silent;
   not having or giving off any sound:
   They were mute when I asked them who was the thief.
2. incapable of speech;
   dumb:
   mute from birth.
3. Phonetics (of letters) silent;
   not pronounced:
   The letter "e'' is mute in the word "come.''

n. [countable]

4. a person incapable of speech.
5. Music and Dance a mechanical device for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.

v. [~ + object]

6. to deaden or muffle the sound of.
7. to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color:
   The colors are more muted in the bedroom.

mute•ly, adv. 

: They stood by mutely, unable or unwilling to answer.

mute•ness, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

mute  (myo̅o̅t), adj., mut•er, mut•est, n., v., mut•ed, mut•ing. 
adj. 

1. silent;
   refraining from speech or utterance.
2. not emitting or having sound of any kind.
3. incapable of speech;
   dumb.
4. Phonetics (of letters) silent;
   not pronounced.
5. Law (of a person who has been arraigned) making no plea or giving an irrelevant response when arraigned, or refusing to stand trial (used chiefly in the phrase to stand mute).
6. Sport [Fox Hunting.] (of a hound) hunting a line without giving tongue or cry.

n. 

7. a person incapable of speech.
8. Show Business an actor whose part is confined to dumb show.
9. Law a person who stands mute when arraigned.
10. Music and Dance Also called sordino. a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.
11. Phonetics a stop.
12. British Terms a hired mourner at a funeral;
    a professional mourner.

v.t. 

13. to deaden or muffle the sound of.
14. to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color.

• Latin mūtus) + unexplained suffix -et; compare -et
• Middle French, equivalent. to Old French mu (
• Latin mūtus dumb; replacing Middle English muet
• 1325–75

mute′ly, adv. 
mute′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 3. still. See dumb. 

Antonyms

• 1. talkative.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

mute / mjuːt/ adjective

1. not giving out sound or speech; silent
2. unable to speak
3. unspoken or unexpressed
4. (of a person arraigned on indictment) refusing to answer a charge
5. another word for plosive
6. (of a letter in a word) silent

noun

1. a control used to turn off the sound on an electronic device, application, etc
2. the state of an electronic device, application, etc when the sound is turned off: to play a video on mute
3. any of various devices used to soften the tone of stringed or brass instruments
4. a person who is unable to speak
5. a person who refuses to plead when arraigned on indictment for an offence
6. a plosive consonant; stop
7. a silent letter
8. an actor in a dumb show
9. a hired mourner at a funeral

verb (transitive)

1. to render silent
2. to reduce the volume of (a musical instrument) by means of a mute, soft pedal, etc
3. to subdue the strength of (a colour, tone, lighting, etc)
4. to stop receiving posts from (a person) temporarily, while continuing to follow him or her

Etymology: 14th Century: muwet from Old French mu, from Latin mūtus silent

ˈmutely adverb

ˈmuteness noun

USAGE
Using mute to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive and should be avoided. The phrase profoundly deaf is a suitable alternative in many contexts