deafen
Americanverb (used with object)
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deafens,
present (3rd person singular)
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deafened,
past participle, past
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deafening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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deafensimple
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deafenssimple
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have deafenedperfect
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has deafenedperfect
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am deafeningprogressive
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are deafeningprogressive
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is deafeningprogressive
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have been deafeningperfect progressive
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has been deafeningperfect progressive
Past
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deafenedsimple
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had deafenedperfect
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was deafeningprogressive
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were deafeningprogressive
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had been deafeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of deafen
Explanation
To deafen is to make someone permanently or temporarily unable to hear, especially with a very loud noise. If the music at a party deafens you, you'll probably go home early. Things that might deafen you include a fire truck's siren, your brother blowing his trumpet in your ear, or an explosion. You can also use the word in a more figurative way, when something makes you feel overwhelmed by its loudness: "I'm sick of living on this busy road — when the bus goes by, it deafens me!" The earliest verb with this meaning was deaf, which became deafen by the late 16th century.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Expect a whole lot of yelling, a roiling sea of mosh pits and enough bass to deafen all of L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2023
“The desire to deafen and respond with noise reflects a kind of discredit of the political discourse,” Christian Salmon, a French essayist and columnist for the online publication Slate, said in an interview.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2023
Opposing sides defecate piles of paperwork at one another, seemingly hoping to discourage or deafen the opponent.
From Golf Digest ● Dec. 6, 2018
“Tribes” isn’t just about auditory deafness, but also the inner voices that scramble the psyche and deafen us to others’ needs, and the difference between cerebral and emotional intelligence.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 13, 2017
The blast didn’t just deafen Alex, it shuddered right through him as if trying to rip out his heart.
From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz
To recognize that the paralysis of suffering deafens us to our own emotions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2023
But indiscriminately blocking or hiding the voices of those you don’t agree with does not silence them; it only deafens you.
From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2016
Another competition of this mould - regardless of how it is packaged - would surely just add to the white noise that already deafens fans of football’s most saturated market.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 13, 2015
A seaport, South Street or otherwise, isn’t the right place to experience Dinosaur Jr.—the band is best enjoyed in a dark, enclosed room, where you can adore it viscerally, as it deafens you.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 14, 2014
Dewey’s ears ring with it—a ringing that almost deafens him to the whispery rush of Smith’s soft voice.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Yet when the researchers treated the mice with a plant-based cholesterol-like compound called phytosterols, the artificially deafened mice experienced improvement in their hearing.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2023
Mohammad Wali said he was listening to a speaker address the crowd when the huge explosion temporarily deafened him.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 30, 2023
If you were deafened by Gary Cully's entrance, ears were melting when Taylor made her entrance just before 11pm in Dublin.
From BBC ● May 20, 2023
For radio astronomers, their sensitive instruments increasingly deafened on Earth, that is a bleak prospect.
From Science Magazine ● Jul. 18, 2019
No longer deafened by the bombs, I finally notice something circling and buzzing over my head.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
The music and cheers blur into a low hum, drowned out by the deafening sound of a ticking clock only Jack can hear.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
Ever since he became a lightning rod at the last World Cup, the noise around Reyna had been deafening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The streets of Cape Verde's capital, Praia, shook to the deafening sounds of vuvuzelas, chants and car horns, after the Blue Sharks held European champions Spain to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup opener.
From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026
Vijay Sengal still remembers the deafening sound when the plane came down.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
But when young Mister Scales stepped on the gas, the roar became high pitched, deafening, and insane.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
