break the silence
End the quiet
To break the silence is to speak after a period of quiet—either literal silence in a room or a longer stretch without communication.
The phrase often describes someone finally addressing a topic they've avoided: She broke the silence about her childhood trauma.
It can also simply mean being the first to speak: Someone coughed, breaking the silence.
- make conversationEngage in casual talk
- clear the airDispel tension through discussion
- open upReveal inner thoughts
- voiceSound from throat
- whistleblowingExposing hidden wrongdoing internally
confession · tell all · disclosure · moment of truth · activism · confrontation · hard truth · unburdening · speak up · speak out · first word · noise · venting · revelation · utterance · declaration · tradition · sharing
break the silenceremain silent
keep quiet · hold one's tongue · say nothing · keep mum · bite one's tongue
break the silencestay quiet
Maintain silence
cover up · conceal · hush up · look the other way · turn a blind eye
break, silence, breaks, broken, breaking, breaker, breakage, unbroken, outbreak