as in shushing
to stop the noise or speech of
the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbing
Verb
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Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026 -
Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As war descended on Iran, the regime once again cut off internet and communications across the country, controlling its people and silencing their messages of resilience.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Instead of silencing the public and turning them away, Democrats should stay and do the job they were elected to do.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This year’s hard freeze that melted most of our daffodils also took the edge off many of the Bradford pear blooms, muting the usual burst of white flowers across the landscape.—
Markis Hill,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2026
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So for anyone who’s struggling to create that distance, Jeter suggests starting small and committing to just one month of no direct communication—along with blocking or muting them online.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
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Unfortunately, the austerity and elegance of the downstairs dining room acts as a dampener, hushing the salad’s brashness and sapping much of the fun.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Clay Holmes threw 5 2/3 innings, Devin Williams recorded his first save in a Mets uniform, and the Mets limited the Cards to only five hits throughout the entire game, quieting the bats that made a lot of noise in their season-opening series.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
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One of the key lessons UConn’s veterans took from last year’s championship run was the importance of focus, of quieting the noise that surrounds the bracket and the program’s unmatched legacy of success.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But nobody seemed bothered Saturday night by the new stadium’s location, or by the work left to be done finishing it, or by the long delay realizing this night, or even by settling for a draw.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Joan asked, settling in beside them with a glass of white wine.—
Catherine Lacey,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Dumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbing. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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