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,” Christian Salmon, a French essayist and columnist for the online publication Slate, said in an interview.
From New York Times ● May 22, 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
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
But high winds have deafened the instruments to the rumblings from deeper magma, says Rick Aster, a geophysicist at Colorado State University.
From Science Magazine ● Dec. 2, 2024
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
Even under his noise-canceling headset, Baseer said, the blast deafened him.
From Salon ● Dec. 15, 2022
But Ms Clair criticised them over their stance, saying: "Their silence deafened me."
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2022
Blinded by the blaze of the spells that had blasted from every direction, deafened by a series of bangs, Harry blinked and looked down at the floor.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
But these sights are drained of their warmth, depicted with a cold, eerie hum that, when it bleeds into the roar of suffering miles away, becomes a deafening cacophony.
From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026
I’m about to dismiss this guide as a wuss when a sudden burst of deafening growls just beyond the edge of our campsite lends credence to his words.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
A stadium that has rocked to the sound of protest has now returned to deafening praise.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The deafening volume at SoFi was the only aspect of the show that got in the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
She couldn’t make out any individual words, just a deafening roar of...more anger?
From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
