moment of silence
Noun
Meaning
A period of silence for quiet meditation, prayer or reflection.
The pastor always opened his Sunday service with a moment of silence.
A period of silence conducted to honor or provide a gesture of respect to a recently deceased person, as part of the mourning process. May also be conducted following a tragic event or on the anniversary thereof.
The principal requested a moment of silence in memory of the two girls who died in a car accident over the weekend.
Examples
Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask for a moment of silence here in this chamber to remember our fallen colleague, my predecessor representing the San Francisco Peninsula in Congress, Leo Ryan, and to honor his work for justice and human rights.
Boom! That's the house, right there, Robert. That's house I'm doing a B&E (breaking and entering)." He looked to me and he said: [shakes head and makes hissing noise through nose. Moment of silence.] "I don't know what that means, but I'm doing it.
A moment of silence is not inherently religious.
A moment of silence please for those that never get the chance.
Before you begin your day: Take a moment of silence and meditation, and give yourself permission to have all that you desire.
A million words cannot express what a glance can convey, and a million glances cannot express what a moment of silence can.