insabbiare
/in.sabˈbja.re/
In Italian, to hush up is insabbiare.
The verb insabbiare is used metaphorically to describe suppressing information, scandals or investigations to prevent them from coming to light.
Meaning: to keep secret (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The past participle insabbiato can be used as an adjective to describe a scandal or a matter that has been hushed up.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables and is pronounced /in.sabˈbja.re/. The stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The verb insabbiare literally translates to 'to bury in sand'.
- Unlike the English 'hush up', which can refer to making someone be quiet, insabbiare can only be used for information and cannot be used to tell a person to stop talking.
- Using insabbiare often carries a stronger connotation of active, often illegal, manipulation than the English 'hush up'.
Examples in context
- Può fare silenzio? Grazie.Could you please be quiet? Thank you.
- Potrebbe abbassare il tono di voce?Could you lower your voice, please?
- TaciShut up
- Fai silenzioBe quiet
- Hanno cercato di insabbiare lo scandalo.They tried to hush up the scandal.
- Non cercare di insabbiare la verità.Do not try to hush up the truth.
- È inutile insabbiare questo errore.It is useless to hush up this mistake.
Example conversation
Matteo and Chiara are discussing a workplace error at a cafe.
- MatteoDobbiamo dire tutto al capo.We must tell the boss everything.
- ChiaraNo, dobbiamo insabbiare la cosa.No, we must hush up the matter.
- MatteoMa non è la cosa giusta.But it is not the right thing to do.
- ChiaraSe lo diciamo, finiremo nei guai.If we say it, we will get into trouble.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry insabbiare, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries insabbiare, CC BY-SA 4.0.
