(economics, finance) A system of bartering, once common in Africa, in which traders remain silent, either because they have no language in common or because they both wish to keep secret and not discuss the origins of their goods (especially gold and salt).

A dustpan with a hinged lid for collecting crumbs of food or ash from an ashtray.

A telephone number not listed in the directory.

(idiomatic) A form of social sanction that consists of ignoring a particular individual, neither speaking to that person nor responding to his or her words.

A burglar alarm that makes no noise that is audible to the trespasser.

plural of silent treatment

(military, informal, sometimes capitalized) The submarine service. / (military, informal, sometimes capitalized, possibly dated) The navy.

(Australia, informal) A small traffic bollard in the middle of an intersection.

Alternative form of silent policeman

(chiefly US politics) The largest portion of a demographic group or of the population of a political jurisdiction, which is considered to possess political and social views that are not openly declared, but that can nevertheless significantly affect voting patterns and social behavior.