- 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.
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
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
Vijay Sengal still remembers the deafening sound when the plane came down.
From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026
“I think that silence is deafening in a lot of ways for crypto.”
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
When I imagine my words out loud, they seem so deafening, as if the sound could actually hurt someone.
From "The Night Diary" by Veera Hiranandani
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.
