muffle

More prosperity: Active noise cancellation has gotten good enough to muffle airplane noise and it’s almost there for human voices in offices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026

I watched as the woman cuffed the phone receiver, attempting, ironically, to muffle the private information she was giving to a 13-year-old.

From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2023

The change, on the heels of a risk assessment done by the government, would likely muffle access to information showing changes in public sentiment toward the city.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 21, 2023

When neighbors there complained about the loud noise from computer cooling fans at the bitcoin mining operation, he gave an interview to the Colorado Springs Independent, promising to plant pine trees to muffle the sound.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2023

Danny tried to cover his ears but it didn’t muffle the sound.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

Mr. Orhan offsets the novel’s magical realism with plainspoken prose that muffles Dilara’s increasingly volatile desires.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026

The visible clutter sets off a contagious, slightly embarrassed giggle, which she muffles with her hands.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2025

And again, they can detect this even if Zoom muffles a user’s audio.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2023

Gestational diabetes most commonly occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy when a woman’s body naturally muffles insulin signals, sparking labor difficulties for the woman and long-term afflictions for a newborn baby.

From Washington Times ● May 31, 2023

The layer of pine needles that muffles my footsteps also makes tracking animals harder when I need their trails to find water.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

In the pop melody “Volveré,” she questions where her heart will remain once she leaves town, as muffled trumpets chime in at the outro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

Several muffled booms were heard in the distance.

From Barron's ● Mar. 10, 2026

On the Alto K98M, that click-clackiness is muffled by a rubbery internal gasket surrounding the keys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 23, 2025

Combined with the coloured, shimmering floor and walls, and a soundtrack of muffled voices, gongs and bird calls, it all creates a powerful if unnerving feeling of floating in another realm.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2025

Koffi's voice was muffled against his chest, and immediately, he rolled off her and helped her up.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

"But a quantum computer acts like noise-canceling headphones that compare combinations of answers, amplifying the right ones while muffling the wrong ones."

From Science Daily ● Feb. 2, 2026

He dropped his face in his hands, muffling his voice.

From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2024

Giant arborvitae trees flank Maude’s Garden on Seattle’s First Hill, muffling the hum of city traffic for this tiny therapeutic oasis.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2023

Wintertime thunder can be harder to hear than in a summer storm because of the muffling effect of the snow, but it is the result of the same mechanics inside the storm cloud.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

So when she convulsed with laughter again, muffling it with her hands, I started to laugh too, my belly shaking as I tried not to make any noise.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss