unmute

/ˌʌnˈmjuːt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌʌnˈmjuːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌən-ˈmyüt/ (ame, mw)

unmute — verb

  • unmutepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unmuteshe / she / it
  • unmutedpast simple
  • unmuting-ing form

1. to reverse the silent setting on a device so that it once again plays sound thro

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to reverse the silent setting on a device so that it once again plays sound through its speakers.

例句

Shanti unmuted her phone just before the alarm went off.

unmute + [device: phone]

Kevin tapped the speaker icon on the screen to unmute the television.

physical action: tap icon to unmute

同義詞
  • turn on the sound

    more general; describes the physical action rather than cancelling a specific mute setting

  • unsilence

    very rare and formal; almost never used in everyday speech

反義詞
  • mute

    direct opposite; the action of silencing the device

  • silence

    same as mute, though less common as a verb for electronic devices

文法句型

unmute + [device or audio source]

用法筆記

The object is always a device or audio source — a phone, TV, microphone, laptop, or video file. Often appears in settings menus and voice commands. Frequently used in the imperative ('Unmute your phone').

常見錯誤

❌I unmuted the volume.
✅I unmuted the TV.
💡'unmute' applies to the device or audio channel, not to the 'volume' itself.

2. to enable the microphone of a person taking part in a video meeting or call, all

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

to enable the microphone of a person taking part in a video meeting or call, allowing everyone else to hear them again after their audio had been turned off.

例句

Linh asked everyone to unmute themselves before sharing their stories.

reflexive: unmute yourself

Vinícius clicked the microphone button to unmute the guest speaker during the webinar.

host action: unmute a participant

同義詞
  • unsilence

    very rare and technical; not used in everyday video call conversations

反義詞
  • mute

    direct opposite; the action of turning off someone's microphone in a call

文法句型

unmute + [person or 'yourself']

用法筆記

Only sense where the object is a person, including the reflexive form 'unmute yourself'. The verb is used exclusively for software-controlled muting in platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Meet, not for ordinary phone calls. Frequently appears in the imperative during meetings.

常見錯誤

❌I unmuted him on the regular phone call.
✅I unmuted him in the Zoom meeting.
💡'unmute a person' only applies to software-based conferencing tools, not ordinary phone calls.

3. to allow a person's posts, photos, or messages to appear again in your social me

3.動詞及物B2
釋義

to allow a person's posts, photos, or messages to appear again in your social media feed after you had chosen to hide them.

例句

Yumi decided to unmute her cousin on Instagram after making up from their argument.

unmute + [person on social media]

Esme unmuted the cooking account because she missed seeing their daily recipe videos.

同義詞
  • unhide

    used by some platforms for the same action, though 'unmute' is more common

  • show posts

    describes the result rather than the platform feature

反義詞
  • mute

    direct opposite; hiding someone's posts from your feed

  • hide

    broader term; can apply to individual posts rather than an entire account

文法句型

unmute + [social media user or account]

用法筆記

Subject is always the person viewing the feed. Object is another user, account, or page whose content the viewer had previously hidden. This sense has nothing to do with sound — it controls visibility of written or visual content in a scrolling feed.

常見錯誤

❌I unmuted his account on Facebook.' (meaning unblocked)
✅I unmuted his posts on Facebook so they appeared in my feed again.
💡'unmute' on social media makes posts visible in your feed; 'unblock' removes a restriction on the person's ability to interact with you.