1
: having total or partial hearing loss
deaf people
the deaf community
also
: of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss
deaf culture
deaf education
2
: unwilling to hear or listen : not to be persuaded
… when men are determined on mutiny, they are deaf to reason.—
Washington Irving
Washington IrvingExamples of deaf in a Sentence
He has been deaf since birth.
She's completely deaf in her right ear.
He's going a little deaf so you'll have to speak up.
Recent Examples on the Web
The day of the launch, a Reuters reporter observed a Tesla robotaxi speeding between 40 mph and 45 mph in a 35 mph zone near the school, where a sign warned drivers to watch for deaf pedestrians.
—Chris Kirkham, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
Ochoa then told the cheerleader that their family had just moved to the area, where Mark is enrolled in a school for deaf children.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Troy Kotsur, a deaf actor who performs in sign language and who won an Oscar in 2022 for CODA, comes closest as the mob boss Mancuso.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Dog owner Jordan, known on TikTok as @jordanpupstylist, recently captured a video of her 14-year-old deaf husky, Scarlet, using her voice to get attention from the person sitting and eating on the couch.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
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Chris Kirkham, Nashville Tennessean, 10 Oct. 2025
Ochoa then told the cheerleader that their family had just moved to the area, where Mark is enrolled in a school for deaf children.
—Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Troy Kotsur, a deaf actor who performs in sign language and who won an Oscar in 2022 for CODA, comes closest as the mob boss Mancuso.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 2025
Dog owner Jordan, known on TikTok as @jordanpupstylist, recently captured a video of her 14-year-old deaf husky, Scarlet, using her voice to get attention from the person sitting and eating on the couch.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
Cite this Entry
“Deaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deaf. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deaf
adjective1
: wholly or partly unable to hear
2
: unwilling to hear or listen
deaf to all suggestions
deafness
noun
Medical Definition
deaf
adjective
: having total or partial hearing loss
deaf adults
also
: of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss
deaf education
deafness
noun
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