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numb

[ nuhm ]
/ nʌm /
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See synonyms for: numb / numbed / number / numbing on Thesaurus.com

adjective, numb·er, numb·est.
deprived of physical sensation or the ability to move: fingers numb with cold.
manifesting or resembling numbness: a numb sensation.
incapable of action or of feeling emotion; enervated; prostrate: numb with grief.
lacking or deficient in emotion or feeling; indifferent: She was numb to their pleas for mercy.
verb (used with object)
to make numb.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of numb

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English nome, literally, “taken, seized,” variant of nomen, numen, Old English numen, past participle of niman “to take, steal”; cf. nim1

OTHER WORDS FROM numb

numb·ly, adverbnumb·ness, nounhalf-numb, adjectiveun·numbed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use numb in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for numb

numb
/ (nʌm) /

adjective
deprived of feeling through cold, shock, etc
unable to move; paralysed
characteristic of or resembling numbnessa numb sensation
verb (tr)
to make numb; deaden, shock, or paralyse

Derived forms of numb

numbly, adverbnumbness, noun

Word Origin for numb

C15: nomen, literally: taken (with paralysis), from Old English niman to take; related to Old Norse nema, Old High German niman
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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