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:
“The desire to deafen and respond with noise reflects a kind of discredit of the political discourse,” said Christian Salmon, a French essayist.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2023
Jamming “can blind and deafen an aircraft very quickly and very dangerously, especially if you lose GPS and radar and you’re a jet flying at 600 miles an hour.”
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2022
Across Los Angeles, studio denizens accustomed to providing all-hours access for musicians on creative benders have been wandering hallways and pondering ways to deafen the silence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2020
Opposing sides defecate piles of paperwork at one another, seemingly hoping to discourage or deafen the opponent.
From Golf Digest ● Dec. 6, 2018
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
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
When he blows his nose, he deafens his students, listening to his instructions through headphones.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 15, 2012
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
They then compared sonograms of the songs of deafened mice with those of hearing mice.
From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 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
The telescope is among the most sensitive in the world at these low frequencies, but it could soon be deafened by signals emanating from a mundane source: electric trains.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 7, 2023
And again the roar of the crowd deafened Julius and defeated Caesar’s intention.
From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks
They greeted her with a roar, cheered every point, and screamed with such deafening volume that her opponents made a string of unforced errors in the middle of a game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
But the pine trees lining Krystal Polk's home, in her family for generations, don't protect her from the data center's deafening drone, which sounds like a jet that never takes off.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
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
It is not certain a loss in Nottingham will result with a head on a spike, though the noise that was deafening in the aftermath of the Ashes will be amplified again.
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
Volta shouted over the deafening chop of the blades.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
