What Does the 🤫 Shushing Face Emoji Mean?

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Be quiet or keep secrets with the 🤫 emoji

Co-authored by Devin McSween Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: February 18, 2024 Fact Checked

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🤫 Meanings & Uses

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Responding to 🤫

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Emoji Pairings

The 🤫 shh or shushing emoji is a popular emoji to send to ask people to quiet down, but this little symbol has other meanings, too! In texts and on social media, 🤫 also represents secrecy, silence, and sneak peeks about new product releases. Follow along with us to learn what the 🤫 (shh) emoji means and how to use it, respond to it, and pair it with other emojis.

Things You Should Know

The 🤫 (shh) emoji represents quiet and silence. Send it to ask people to “Shush” or quiet down.
🤫 also signifies secrecy. Use it to let people know that you want your message to be kept private and confidential.
The 🤫 emoji also represents anticipation and excitement. Companies often use it to generate buzz for new product launches.

Section 1 of 3:

🤫 (Shh) Emoji Meanings and Uses

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1
The 🤫 emoji means, “Be quiet.” If a friend, family member, or neighbor is being too loud, fire off the 🤫 emoji to ask them to quiet down. This emoji is giving the “Shh!” or “Shush!” gesture to make it clear that you want someone to be silent, whether you’re trying to work, get some sleep, or sneak around without being detected.^{[1]
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- “Can you turn down the TV? I’m trying to study and it’s really distracting. 🤫🔇”
- “Please be quiet when you come inside, I just put the baby to sleep. 🤫👶”
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🤫 represents secrecy and discreteness. When you have a secret to share or hot gossip to spill, add the 🤫 emoji to your message so whoever you’re texting knows to keep it confidential. Or, post the 🤫 on social media to tease that you have tea about something.^{[2]
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- “Don’t tell anyone, but I heard Maya and Josh are dating! 🤫🫢”
- “Felipe doesn’t know I’m getting him a gift, so keep this between us! 🤫😉”
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3
The 🤫 emoji expresses anticipation for new products or news. Lots of companies and media outlets use the 🤫 emoji in their social media posts to show off a product sneak peek or share that they have the exclusive scoop about an event. If you’re a business owner, adding 🤫 to your posts indicates that you have new items launching soon, which helps generate buzz for your products!
- “A little sneak peek of our new candles that are dropping soon! 🤫🤩”
- “Don’t miss our exclusive interview with Taylor Swift, coming soon!! 🤫🤫🤭”
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🤫 means you don’t want to talk about something. If you promised to keep someone’s secret, text the 🤫 emoji to let an inquisitive friend know that you’re sworn to secrecy. Or, send 🤫 to politely let people know that you’re not comfortable talking about a certain topic.^{[3]
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- “I promised Dan that I wouldn’t say anything about what he’s planning for your birthday, sorry! 🤫😜”
- “I’m not comfortable talking about that right now. 🤫 Can we chat about something else? 😊”
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The 🤫 emoji can refer to having a secret weapon. While less common, the 🤫 can represent a trick you’ve got up your sleeve to ensure an event runs smoothly, like a plan to distract your friend so they don’t find out about their surprise party. Or, it can indicate a hidden advantage you can play to win a game.
- “I’ve got a secret weapon to get her out of the house for her surprise party: a pedicure! 🤫🥳”
- “Don’t worry, I’ve been practicing this kick for months to make sure we win our game tomorrow! 🤫⚽️”
- The 🤫 emoji is often used in sports reporting to indicate a secretly talented player or special skill the opposing team wasn’t expecting.

Section 2 of 3:

Responding to the 🤫 (Shh) Emoji

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1
Apologize for being loud and promise to be quiet. If someone sends you the 🤫 emoji to ask you to quiet down, text them back to say you’re sorry about disturbing them. Then, make it clear that you’ll be silent and make an effort to not be loud in the future.
- Them: “Would you mind being a little more quiet? I can hear your music from downstairs. 🤫”
  You: “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize it was so loud! 😓 I’m turning it down now, let me know if that’s better. 😊”
2
Promise to keep someone’s secret or gossip private. When someone texts you confidential information or shares something they don’t want anyone else to know, reassure them that you won’t say anything. Your friend will appreciate that they can trust you to have their back.
- Them: “Keep this a secret please, I don’t want Ray to know yet. 🤫”
  You: “Of course, your secret is safe with me! 🤫🤐”
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Respect someone’s desire not to talk. If someone messages you the 🤫 to tell you that they can’t talk about something, reassure them that’s okay. Don’t push them on the subject and simply change the topic so they know you respect their wishes.
- Them: “I’m sorry, I can’t talk about the company’s decision until the information is public. 🤫”
  You: “That’s alright! I’ll find out when I need to, then! 😊”
4
Share your excitement for a company’s new releases. If your favorite clothing brand or musical artist posts a sneak peek of something new to come on social media, comment on the post to express your excitement. For instance, you might simply reply with a lot of emojis or exclamation points.
- Them: “New song coming Friday, who’s excited?? 🤫😤🤩”
  You: “OMG I can’t wait!!! 😆🤩🤩”

Section 3 of 3:

🤫 (Shh) Emoji Pairings

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Pair 🤫 with other emojis to represent silence, secrecy, and more. The 🤫 (shh) emoji is easily combined with other fun emojis to symbolize different things like:
- Silent mode: 🤫📱🔇🔕
- Top secret: 🤫🕵️🤐🤭🫢🤔😶
- Silence or keep quiet: 🤫🫥😶🤐
- Quiet area: 🤫🗣️🔇