From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmufflemuf‧fle /ˈmʌfəl/ verb [transitive] 1 QUIETto make a sound less loud and clear, especially by covering something The falling snow muffled the sound of our footsteps. Her voice was muffled by the pillow in which she had hidden her face.2 (also muffle up)DCPUT ON CLOTHES to cover yourself or another person with something thick and warm SYN wrap upbe muffled (up) in something Penelope arrived, muffled up in a thick coat.Grammar Muffle is usually passive in this meaning.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
muffle• The falling snow muffled all sounds.• John's voice was muffled by the door, and I couldn't tell what he was saying.• He dragged her into the car, putting his hand over her mouth to muffle her screams.• They might muffle his body and cover his face as they would, but they could not hide Harry Talvace from Aelis.• The snow muffled the sound of the traffic.• The children were muffled up in thick coats.muffled the sound• The volume of the music muffled the sounds of the attack, and no-one heard her screams for help.be muffled (up) in something• The primary school was muffled in a barbed-wire fence.• It was still very cold and everyone was muffled up in coats and scarves and gloves.• The sounds of the storm were muffled in the blue-blackness.Origin muffle (1400-1500) Perhaps from Old French moufle “glove”, from Medieval Latin moffula; → MUFF1 