Meaning & use
moment of silence
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short, planned pause in which people stay quiet together, usually to show respect for someone who has died or an event.
Grammar: Countable: a moment of silence; often used with hold, observe or ask for.
Patterns
- hold a moment of silence
- observe a moment of silence for someone
The crowd held a moment of silence for the victims.
The principal asked for a moment of silence before the assembly.
Players observed a moment of silence before the match.
nouncountable
A brief interval in a conversation or event when nobody speaks, often awkward or thoughtful.
Grammar: Countable and often used loosely in stories.
Patterns
- a moment of silence followed
There was a moment of silence after the announcement.
A moment of silence passed before she answered.
He paused for a moment of silence to gather his thoughts.
Word forms
| plural | moments of silence |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a moment of silence
- The school held a moment of silence at noon.
- observe a moment of silence
- Everyone observed a moment of silence at the memorial.
- ask for a moment of silence
- The speaker asked for a moment of silence.
- a brief moment of silence
- A brief moment of silence followed the news.
- share a moment of silence
- The family shared a moment of silence before dinner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- minute's silence
- Minute's silence is the usual British form and suggests a precise sixty seconds.
- pause
- Pause is general and does not carry the respectful ceremonial meaning.
- silent tribute
- Silent tribute is more formal and focuses on honoring someone.
- hush
- Hush describes an atmosphere of quiet rather than a planned act.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: moment of silence or moment of truth?
moment of silence vs moment of truth
A moment of truth is a critical time when something is tested, with no link to quietness.
Practice
Before the ceremony began, the host asked everyone to ___ a moment of silence.
Choose one answer.
People observe or hold a moment of silence. Applaud and interrupt would break the silence instead of keeping it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “moment of silence”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.