50 Idioms for Silence with Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Silence
1. Zip one’s lips
Meaning: To keep silent or not say anything
In a Sentence: Sarah promised to zip her lips about the surprise party until the day of the event.
Other Ways to Say: Keep quiet, Keep mum.
2. Button one’s lip
Meaning: To stop talking or remain silent
In a Sentence: After the argument, Tom decided to button his lip to avoid further conflict.
Other Ways to Say: Keep quiet, Hush up.
3. Hold your tongue
Meaning: To stop yourself from saying something
In a Sentence: I had to hold my tongue instead of correcting him.
Other Ways to Say: Remain silent, Bite your tongue.
4. Bite your tongue
Meaning: To avoid saying something you want to say
In a Sentence: She bit her tongue during the meeting to stay professional.
Other Ways to Say: Stay silent, Keep it in
5. Cat got your tongue?
Meaning: Said when someone is strangely silent
In a Sentence: You’re usually so talkative—cat got your tongue?
Other Ways to Say: Why so quiet?, Lost your voice?
6. Mum’s the word
Meaning: Keep something a secret
In a Sentence: We’re planning a surprise party—mum’s the word!
Other Ways to Say: Don’t tell anyone, Stay quiet.
7. Keep a low profile
Meaning: Avoid attracting attention or speaking up
In a Sentence: After the scandal, he kept a low profile for months.
Other Ways to Say: Stay under the radar, Keep quiet
8. Seal one’s lips
Meaning: Not to speak or reveal information
In a Sentence: She sealed her lips and refused to answer questions.
Other Ways to Say: Stay silent, Keep it to yourself
9. Quiet as a mouse
Meaning: Extremely quiet
In a Sentence: The children were as quiet as mice during the performance.
Other Ways to Say: Silent, Still.
10. Keep mum
Meaning: To stay silent or not reveal information
In a Sentence: He kept mum about the details of the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Say nothing, Stay quiet.
11. Stone-cold silence
Meaning: Complete and uncomfortable silence
In a Sentence: Her comment was followed by stone-cold silence.
Other Ways to Say: Dead silence, Awkward hush
12. Give someone the silent treatment
Meaning: To intentionally ignore someone by not speaking
In a Sentence: He gave her the silent treatment after their argument.
Other Ways to Say: Freeze out, Ignore.
13. Not a word
Meaning: Absolute silence or secrecy
In a Sentence: Not a word was spoken during the tense moment.
Other Ways to Say: Total silence, Keep it hush-hush
14. Go radio silent
Meaning: To stop all communication
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she went radio silent.
Other Ways to Say: Disappear, Cut contact
15. Dead silence
Meaning: Total, eerie silence
In a Sentence: The room fell into dead silence after the shocking announcement.
Other Ways to Say: Stillness, No sound.
16. Say nothing
Meaning: To remain completely silent
In a Sentence: I chose to say nothing rather than escalate the situation.
Other Ways to Say: Keep silent, Be quiet
17. Play it close to the chest
Meaning: To keep information private or not share thoughts
In a Sentence: She played it close to the chest and didn’t reveal her plan.
Other Ways to Say: Be discreet, Keep it secret
18. Go mute
Meaning: To become or stay completely silent
In a Sentence: He went mute after the shocking news.
Other Ways to Say: Fall silent, Go quiet.
19. Stay tight-lipped
Meaning: To refuse to talk about something
In a Sentence: The lawyer stayed tight-lipped during questioning.
Other Ways to Say: Silent, Not revealing
20. In dead silence
Meaning: In complete and total quiet
In a Sentence: The decision was made in dead silence.
Other Ways to Say: No sound, Total quiet.
21. Not breathe a word
Meaning: Not to say anything at all
In a Sentence: Promise me you won’t breathe a word about this.
Other Ways to Say: Keep secret, Say nothing.
22. Sit in silence
Meaning: Remain quiet without speaking
In a Sentence: They sat in silence, thinking about the loss.
Other Ways to Say: Stay still, Be quiet
23. Say less
Meaning: Say nothing more, often used to imply understanding
In a Sentence: I get it, say less—I won’t tell anyone.
Other Ways to Say: Got it, Understood
24. Lost for words
Meaning: Unable to speak due to shock or emotion
In a Sentence: I was lost for words when I saw the surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless, Stunned.
25. Keep it under wraps
Meaning: To keep something secret or private
In a Sentence: We need to keep this project under wraps until launch.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t reveal, Keep hidden
26. Hush-hush
Meaning: Secretive or quiet about something
In a Sentence: The plans for the deal were kept hush-hush.
Other Ways to Say: Confidential, Top secret
27. Hold back
Meaning: To restrain from speaking
In a Sentence: I had to hold back my opinion during the meeting.
Other Ways to Say: Stay quiet, Keep it in.
28. Keep things to yourself
Meaning: Not share thoughts or feelings
In a Sentence: He always keeps things to himself.
Other Ways to Say: Be private, Don’t open up
29. Stay in the shadows
Meaning: Avoid attention by being silent or unnoticed
In a Sentence: She stayed in the shadows during the discussion.
Other Ways to Say: Be invisible, Remain quiet
30. Tongue-tied
Meaning: Unable to speak clearly or at all
In a Sentence: He was tongue-tied when she walked in.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless, Flustered.
31. Speechless
Meaning: Unable to speak due to surprise or emotion
In a Sentence: I was speechless after hearing the news.
Other Ways to Say: Lost for words, Stunned
32. Clam up
Meaning: Suddenly stop talking
In a Sentence: He clammed up when the teacher asked a question.
Other Ways to Say: Go quiet, Shut down
33. Say no more
Meaning: Expression of understanding or agreement to stop talking
In a Sentence: Say no more—I already know what happened.
Other Ways to Say: Got it, Understood.
34. Don’t utter a word
Meaning: Do not speak at all
In a Sentence: Don’t utter a word about this until I say so.
Other Ways to Say: Stay silent, Say nothing
35. Hush up
Meaning: To stop talking or be quiet
In a Sentence: Hush up! The baby is sleeping.
Other Ways to Say: Quiet down, Be silent
36. Silence speaks volumes
Meaning: Silence reveals more than words
In a Sentence: He didn’t say a word, but his silence spoke volumes.
Other Ways to Say: Expressive silence, Unspoken meaning.
37. Dumbstruck
Meaning: So surprised that one cannot speak
In a Sentence: She was dumbstruck by the performance.
Other Ways to Say: Stunned, Shocked silent
38. Without a sound
Meaning: Completely silent
In a Sentence: The fox moved through the woods without a sound.
Other Ways to Say: Silently, Quietly
39. Closed book
Meaning: Unwilling to speak or share information
In a Sentence: When it comes to emotions, he’s a closed book.
Other Ways to Say: Reserved, Private.
40. Fall into silence
Meaning: To stop speaking and become silent
In a Sentence: The room fell into silence after the announcement.
Other Ways to Say: Go quiet, Fall still
41. Wordless
Meaning: Silent or not using words
In a Sentence: Their goodbye was wordless but emotional.
Other Ways to Say: Unspoken, Silent
42. Keep your lips sealed
Meaning: To stay silent, especially about a secret
In a Sentence: Keep your lips sealed about the surprise.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t tell, Stay quiet.
43. No comment
Meaning: A refusal to answer questions
In a Sentence: The spokesperson had no comment on the issue.
Other Ways to Say: Won’t respond, Decline to speak
44. Quiet down
Meaning: Reduce noise or become silent
In a Sentence: Please quiet down before the presentation starts.
Other Ways to Say: Be quiet, Settle down
45. Reticent
Meaning: Reluctant to speak or share thoughts
In a Sentence: He’s reticent during meetings but has good ideas.
Other Ways to Say: Reserved, Silent.
46. Closed lips
Meaning: Not speaking or revealing information
In a Sentence: She kept her lips closed during the interrogation.
Other Ways to Say: Quiet, Sealed
47. Say nothing at all
Meaning: Remain completely silent
In a Sentence: He chose to say nothing at all and walked away.
Other Ways to Say: Be mute, Keep quiet.
48. Fall silent
Meaning: To suddenly stop talking
In a Sentence: Everyone fell silent when the principal entered.
Other Ways to Say: Go quiet, Become still
49. No words exchanged
Meaning: No conversation or verbal interaction
In a Sentence: They walked past each other with no words exchanged.
Other Ways to Say: Silence, Non-verbal
50. Shut one’s mouth
Meaning: To stay silent, often firmly
In a Sentence: He shut his mouth and refused to argue further.
Other Ways to Say: Be quiet, Stop talking
