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numb
[ nuhm ]
/ nʌm /
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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.
lacking or deficient in emotion or feeling; indifferent: She was numb to their pleas for mercy.
verb (used with object)
to make numb.
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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, adjectiveWords nearby numb
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, nounWord 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
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