Meaning & use
muting
Last updated
“muting” is a form of “mute”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Switching off the sound from a device, speaker, microphone or call so that nothing is heard.
Grammar: Takes an object: muting the TV, muting yourself.
Patterns
- mute something
- mute yourself
She is muting the microphone while the dog barks.
He keeps muting the TV during advertisements.
Remember to keep yourself muted, instead of muting every few minutes.
verbtransitive
Making something quieter, softer or less strong.
Grammar: Takes an object: muting the colors.
Patterns
- mute something
The thick curtains are muting the street noise.
The artist is muting the colors to create a calm mood.
Fear was muting her enthusiasm.
noununcountable
The act of turning sound off, or of stopping a person's messages from appearing for you on social media.
Grammar: Used as a noun for the act: the muting of accounts.
Patterns
- the muting of something
The muting of notifications helped him focus.
Muting is gentler than blocking an account.
Word forms
| base form | mute |
|---|---|
| third person singular | mutes |
| past tense | muted |
| -ing form | muting |
Common combinations
- muting the microphone
- Muting the microphone prevents background noise.
- muting notifications
- I have been muting notifications at night.
- muting the sound
- Muting the sound let me read.
- muting yourself
- Muting yourself is polite in big meetings.
- muting colors
- Muting colors makes the photo look vintage.
Synonyms and how they differ
- silencing
- Silencing is stronger and can mean forcing a person to stop speaking, not just switching off sound.
- muffling
- Muffling reduces sound without stopping it, whereas muting can switch it off.
- dampening
- Dampening suggests weakening an effect or feeling, not turning off a device.
- hushing
- Hushing involves asking people to be quiet and is informal.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: muting or muting vs. mooting?
muting vs muting vs. mooting
Mooting means raising an idea for discussion and sounds similar, but has nothing to do with sound.
Practice
The video call was noisy, so everyone was asked to keep ___ their microphones unless speaking.
Choose one answer.
Muting switches sound off. Unmuting does the opposite, and amplifying and recording do not stop noise.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “muting”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.