deafen

[def-uhn]

verb (used with object)

1. to make deaf.

   The accident deafened him for life.

2. to stun or overwhelm with noise.

   The pounding of the machines deafened us.

3. deaden.

4. Obsolete.,  to render (a sound) inaudible, especially by a louder sound.

deafen

/ ˈdɛfən /

verb

1. (tr) to make deaf, esp momentarily, as by a loud noise

Other Word Forms

• deafeningly adverb
• half-deafened adjective
• nondeafened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deafen¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; deaf + -en ¹

Example Sentences

When one performer delivered a few lines in a deafening shout, she said, “Remember ... if you are screaming, pull that mike away.”

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What stays with me from that afternoon is the deafening noise that seemed to fill every corner of Pasadena before morphing into arguably the loudest Eight Clap in Bruins history.

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The crickets and cicadas make a ceaseless, deafening buzz, coyotes cry mournfully in the distance, songbirds cheep and squawk at the first hint of dawn.

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When the conductor sounded three deafening, mournful hoots on the train whistle, the children covered their ears and howled even more loudly in protest.

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One sloppy murder attempt becomes full-on farce as Man-soo finds himself shouting marital advice to an intended victim over deafening music before the action devolves into a messy three-way scrum.

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