deafen
verb (used with object)
to make deaf.
had been deafening
-
past perfect progressiveof deafen.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
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
Afterwards, Salonga said the audience response had been "deafening".
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2014
Recalling that he and John Kennedy talked about medicare in almost every state in the 1960 campaign, Johnson said that there had been "deafening applause" every time it was mentioned.
From Time Magazine Archive
From the time that we entered the gallery the shouts and revelry had been deafening.
From Latitude 19 degree A Romance of the West Indies in the Year of Our Lord Eighteen Hundred and Twenty by Mrs. Schuyler Crowninshield
The clamour, which had been deafening, was suddenly hushed, only finding vent in a buzzing murmur.
From In the Whirl of the Rising by Bertram Mitford
