muffler

American  

[muhf-ler] / ˈmʌf lər /

noun

1. a scarf worn around one's neck for warmth.

2. any of various devices for deadening sound, as the sound of escaping gases of an internal-combustion engine.

3. anything used for muffling sound.

4. Armor. a mittenlike glove worn with a mail hauberk.

---

muffler British  

/ ˈmʌflə /

noun

1. a thick scarf, collar, etc

2. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): silencer.  any device designed to reduce noise, esp the tubular device containing baffle plates in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle

3. something that muffles

---

Etymology

Origin of muffler

First recorded in 1525–35; muffle ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

He even came to see me in his second-hand car, which was lacking a muffler, and we drove noisily over to Bass Lake and went swimming.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025

According to court documents, a Portsmouth homeowner was working on his property in September 2020 when he heard the loud muffler of a passing car.

From Washington Times • May 3, 2023

Not too long ago, I was driving to get an estimate to install a new muffler on my truck.

From Washington Post • Apr. 26, 2022

Dirty, super-heated air from a car’s engine passes through the honey-comb chambers of a catalytic converter before entering the muffler and exiting through the tail pipe.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2022

The plaid flannel shirt made a jacket unnecessary while the muffler guarded exposed Reilly skin between earflap and collar.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole