Idioms are like secret codes in the English language! They’re phrases or expressions where the meaning isn’t obvious from the words themselves. Instead, you have to understand the phrase as a whole. Learning idioms can make your English sound more natural and help you understand native speakers better.
One area where idioms are really common is when talking about silence. Instead of just saying someone is quiet, you can use a colorful idiom to describe their silence and add extra meaning to what you’re saying. This article will teach you 35 cool idioms for silence!
Idioms for Silence
1. Not utter a peep
Meaning: To not say a single word, even when you might be expected to speak.
In a Sentence: The suspect didn’t utter a peep during the entire interrogation. / She was so shocked by the news that she didn’t utter a peep.
Other Ways to Say: Remain completely silent / Keep mum / Say nothing at all
2. Keep schtum
Meaning: To remain silent about something, especially something secret.
In a Sentence: He promised to keep schtum about their plans for the surprise party. / The witness was told to keep schtum until the trial.
Other Ways to Say: Stay silent / Keep quiet / Don’t breathe a word
3. Zip your lip
Meaning: A rude way of telling someone to be quiet.
In a Sentence: Hey, zip your lip! I’m trying to hear the instructions. / The teacher told the students to zip their lips and pay attention.
Other Ways to Say: Be quiet / Shut up / Button your lip
4. Mum’s the word
Meaning: An agreement to keep something a secret.
In a Sentence: Mum’s the word about the surprise birthday party. Don’t tell anyone! / I needed to tell you, but mum’s the word with everyone else.
Other Ways to Say: Keep it a secret / Don’t tell anyone / This is confidential
5. Silence is golden
Meaning: It is often better to remain silent than to speak.
In a Sentence: When you don’t know the answer, silence is golden. / In this situation, silence is golden because anything I say will be misconstrued.
Other Ways to Say: Staying quiet is best / It’s better to be silent / It’s often smarter to not speak
6. A pregnant pause
Meaning: A long, meaningful silence that is often full of anticipation.
In a Sentence: There was a pregnant pause before he announced the winner. / After the question, there was a pregnant pause as everyone waited for her answer.
Other Ways to Say: Tense silence / Significant silence / Anticipatory pause
7. Still waters run deep
Meaning: A person who appears quiet or calm may have a complex or profound intellect and hidden depths.
In a Sentence: John doesn’t talk much, but still waters run deep with him. / Don’t underestimate her; still waters run deep.
Other Ways to Say: Quiet people are insightful / Reserved individuals are complex / Silent types are often wise
8. Keep a lid on it
Meaning: To keep something secret or to remain silent about it.
In a Sentence: We need to keep a lid on this project until it’s finished. / Please keep a lid on the information I just shared.
Other Ways to Say: Keep it secret / Don’t let it out / Maintain secrecy
9. Fall silent
Meaning: To suddenly become quiet.
In a Sentence: The room fell silent when the principal entered. / The conversation fell silent after the uncomfortable question.
Other Ways to Say: Become quiet / Go silent / Stop talking
10. Not breathe a word
Meaning: To not tell anyone about something that is secret.
In a Sentence: Promise you won’t breathe a word about this to anyone. / She asked him not to breathe a word about her illness.
Other Ways to Say: Keep it a secret / Don’t tell anyone / Stay silent
11.clam up
Meaning: To suddenly refuse to talk, usually because of shyness or fear.
In a Sentence: He completely clammed up when the police started asking questions. / She tends to clam up in large groups of people.
Other Ways to Say: Become silent / Shut up / Stop talking
12. Drop a veil of silence
Meaning: To create a hush or quietness, often deliberately.
In a Sentence: A veil of silence dropped over the audience as the performance began. / The announcement dropped a veil of silence over the previously bustling room.
Other Ways to Say: Become quiet / A hush fell / Create complete silence
13. Be lost for words
Meaning: To be so surprised, shocked, or moved that you cannot speak.
In a Sentence: I was completely lost for words when I received the award. / She was lost for words at the beauty of the scenery.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless / Unable to speak / Without words
14. Button your lip
Meaning: To stop talking right now.
In a Sentence: Button your lip! You’re revealing too much information. / The angry coach demanded the player button his lip.
Other Ways to Say: Be quiet / Shut up / Zip your lip
15. Hold your tongue
Meaning: To avoid speaking, especially when you want to say something that might be offensive or inappropriate.
In a Sentence: I wanted to argue, but I decided to hold my tongue. / It’s best to hold your tongue in that sensitive situation.
Other Ways to Say: Remain silent / Do not speak / Keep quiet
16. Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: To avoid mentioning a subject or taking action that could cause trouble.
In a Sentence: It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie and not bring up the past. / Don’t ask her about her previous job; just let sleeping dogs lie.
Other Ways to Say: Don’t stir up trouble / Leave it alone / Avoid problems
17. A vow of silence
Meaning: A promise not to speak, often for religious or personal reasons.
In a Sentence: The monk took a vow of silence for a year. / After the traumatic experience, she took a personal vow of silence.
Other Ways to Say: Promise to be silent / Choosing not to speak / Elective muteness
18. Hush falls
Meaning: A sudden, quiet descent on a noisy group or place.
In a Sentence: As soon as the music stopped, a hush fell over the crowd. / A hush falls over the audience as the curtain rises on opening night.
Other Ways to Say: Silence descends / Quietness takes over / The noise stops
19. Deafening silence
Meaning: A silence that is so intense or unexpected that it feels loud.
In a Sentence: Her deafening silence spoke volumes about her feelings. / The deafening silence after the question made everyone uncomfortable.
Other Ways to Say: Heavy silence / Noticeable quiet / Remarkable stillness
20. Die down to a whisper
Meaning: To gradually become very quiet.
In a Sentence: The noise from the party eventually died down to a whisper. / The waves died down to a whisper as the storm ended.
Other Ways to Say: Gradually become quiet / Fade to silence / Become softer
21. Take a vow of silence
Meaning: To make a formal pledge—for religious or spiritual reasons—to remain silent.
In a Sentence: After the traumatic event, she took a vow of silence to reflect. / Some monks will take a vow of silence for a period of time.
Other Ways to Say: Promise silence / Stop speaking intentionally / Renounce speech.
22. The air hung heavy
Meaning: There was an oppressive silence in the room, full of unsaid things.
In a Sentence: After the argument, the air hung heavy between them. / The air hung heavy in the waiting room as everyone anticipated the doctor’s news.
Other Ways to Say: Oppressive silence / Uncomfortable pause / Tense atmosphere.
23. Like a sphinx
Meaning: To be deeply silent or enigmatic, especially by refusing to answer.
In a Sentence: When asked about his plans, he remained silent, like a sphinx. / The witness sat like a sphinx, refusing to speak to authorities.
Other Ways to Say: Completely silent / Mysterious, reserved / Secretive.
24. Go to ground
Meaning: To disappear or become unavailable, often to avoid attention.
In a Sentence: After the scandal, the politician went to ground. / He went to ground after realizing he was in trouble with the law.
Other Ways to Say: Disappear from society / Hideaway / Become unavaliable.
25. As quiet as a mouse
Meaning: Extremely quiet, making very little noise.
In a Sentence: The children were as quiet as mice while their parents watched the movie. / She was so quiet you’d think she didn’t exist; she was like a mouse.
Other Ways to Say: Make no sound / Utterly silent / Silent as a whisper.
26. Sew your mouth shut
Meaning: To remain completely or forcefully silent, especially about something one might wish to speak about.
In a Sentence: I wanted to argue with my boss, but decided to sew my mouth shut. / If you decide to join this group, you have to sew your mouth shut about our true purpose.
Other Ways to Say: Shut your mouth / Keep quiet / Bite tour tongue
27. Freeze up
Meaning: To become suddenly silent and unable to speak, often through fear or nervousness.
In a Sentence: The job applicant froze up when asked about her biggest weakness. / He froze up when he realized he forgot everything he planned to say.
Other Ways to Say: Stop speaking / Become silent / Suddenly unable to speak
28. Not let on
Meaning: To remain silent about something you know to be true.
In a Sentence: He knew about the surprise, but he didn’t let on. / She didn’t let on that she was upset, even though she really was.
Other Ways to Say: Keep the secret / Don’t reveal / Not speak about.
29. The silence screamed
Meaning: The silence itself was full of unspoken meaning or tension.
In a Sentence: The silence screamed between them after their heated argument. / The silence screamed in the empty house, reminding her loneliness.
Other Ways to Say: Loud quiet / Meaningful absence of sound / Tension in the quiet.
30. Be struck dumb
Meaning: To be so shocked or surprised that you cannot speak.
In a Sentence: I was struck dumb by the news of her sudden death. / He was struck dumb when she walked through the door.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless / Unable to speak / Rendered mute.
31. Fall into a silence
Meaning: To gradually become quiet.
In a Sentence: They simply fell into a silence that neither felt the need to break. / The loud chatter fell into a silence as the performance began.
Other Ways to Say: Become quietly / Fall silent / Stop talking slowly.
32. Meet with silence
Meaning: To receive no response, or to be shown no interest.
In a Sentence: His proposal was met with complete silence from the board. / Her pleas for help were met with silence by her family,
Other Ways to Say: Ignored / Overlooked / Not acknowledged.
33. Sink into silence
Meaning: To gradually grow quiet.
In a Sentence: After their conversation, they simply sunk into silence. / Exhausted, they sink into silence and turned around the room.
Other Ways to Say: Quietly disappear / Vanish into the silent room. / Calmly quiet down.
34. Struck mute
Meaning: Made silent or unable to speak.
In a Sentence: She was struck mute with grief at the funeral. / Fear struck her mute when she saw the bear in her backyard.
Other Ways to Say: Unable to speak from shock / Speechless / Silent.
35. Sit tight
Meaning: To remain silent and wait patiently for something to happen.
In a Sentence: Just sit tight and don’t say anything until I give you the signal. / The police told him to sit tight and not leave the house.
Other Ways to Say: Remain quiet / Do nothing / Don’t move.
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct idiom from the list above:
1. I wanted to disagree, but I decided to __________.
2. After the argument, __________.
3. When the boss entered, the room __________.
4. The musician __________ was asked about his new album.
5. You know you’re not supposed to share that information, so __________.
6. I needed to sit down, I was __________ when I saw the final results.
7. He knew the surprise was coming, but tried not to __________.
8. __________ about the stolen money from the bank.
9. The children were __________ at the library.
10. They __________ while waiting to receive the final verdict.
Answer Key
1. hold my tongue
2. the air hung heavy
3. fell silent
4. remained like a sphinx
5. zip your lip
6. struck dumb
7. let on
8. mum’s the word
9. as quiet as mice
10. sit tight
Conclusion
Learning idioms about silence can greatly improve your understanding of English conversations and literature. Instead of just hearing “he was quiet,” you’ll understand the kind of quiet – whether it was tense, mysterious, or deliberate. This adds depth and nuance to your understanding.
Using these idioms yourself will also make your English sound more natural and expressive. So, practice using these 35 idioms and start noticing them in the books you read and the conversations you hear! You’ll be an idiom expert in no time.
