- present participle of deafen.
deafening
Americanadjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of deafening
Explanation
When a sound is deafening, it's overwhelmingly loud. You may think you're prepared after a flash of lightning, but the deafening sound of thunder can still make you jump! Deafening noises are so loud that they block out all other sounds. The deafening siren from a passing ambulance easily overwhelms the quiet conversation at your breakfast table, and a deafening roar inside a music venue may make you regret your decision to see your favorite band live. While deafen means "make deaf," deafening generally means something closer to "making you temporarily unable to hear."
Vocabulary lists containing deafening
Turn It Up! Synonyms for "Loud"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 3
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Unit 1, Week 5
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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.
He preened, grabbed his oversized scissors and opened his mouth to boast, but no one could hear a single word over the deafening roar of Marine One’s idling engines.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 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
Roxanne Brown’s journey to leading the United Steelworkers union didn’t start in the heat and deafening noise of a steel mill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Supporters lined the roads five hours before kick-off, the noise at kick-off was deafening, with some Mexico supporters in tears as they sang the national anthem.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The Afterlife’s deafening silence was filled by the creak and sigh of the woods.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
