deafen

verb deaf·en \ ˈde-fən \

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

Examples: deafen in a Sentence

Definition of deafen

deafened; deafening play \-fə-niŋ, ˈdef-niŋ\

transitive verb

: to make deaf

was deafened by the explosion

See deafen defined for English-language learners

See deafen defined for kids

Examples of deafen in a Sentence

We were deafened by the explosion.

Recent Examples of deafen from the Web

Once the gerbils learned this behavior, scientists deafened the animals, causing them to become unresponsive to the loudspeaker.

— justin chen, STAT, "Pulses of light restored hearing in gerbils. Could that lead to higher-tech cochlear implants?," 11 July 2018
The collective hand-wringing over Yu Darvish in Chicago is almost deafening.

— michael beller, SI.com, "Yu Darvish is Tweaking His Mechanics to Try and Escape His Early-Season Struggles," 18 May 2018
With all of England's games held at Wembley, support for the home side was deafening and made the difference in all three tight knockout matches.

— SI.com, "5 Times Home Support Seriously Counted at the World Cup," 31 May 2018
Indeed, if Grassley suggested that private universities receiving federal funds should be barred from requiring Bible classes, the resulting outcry would deafen us all.

— valerie strauss, Washington Post, "Why let the Klan march at a private historically black college? ‘This is not a First Amendment thing, man.’," 31 May 2018
My beloved dog was dying and every single breath was deafening.

— alexa tsoulis-reay, The Cut, "I Was Convinced I Might Kill My Child," 31 May 2018
The sounds were deafening — the thunderous detonations of exploding munitions, the loud staccato bursts of machine gun fire, the shriek of whistles as German chlorine and phosgene gas were unleashed, and the screams of the wounded.

— special to the oregonian, OregonLive.com, "Memorial Day 2018: Remembering two peace-loving Oregon boys who died in France," 28 May 2018
On two trips in April and May to his cabin near Park Falls, the silence has been deafening.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Regional study will examine the impact of West Nile Virus on ruffed grouse," 23 May 2018
Excited shrieks from fans were near-deafening as all seven BTS members took to the stage to accept, with a sincere speech thanking fans around the globe for their undying support -- both in English and Korean.

— tatiana cirisano, Billboard, "BTS Wins Top Social Artist Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards," 20 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'deafen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of deafen

1597

in the meaning defined above

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DEAFEN Defined for English Language Learners

deafen

verb

Definition of deafen for English Language Learners

: to make (someone) unable to hear

DEAFEN Defined for Kids

deafen

verb deaf·en \ ˈde-fən \

Definition of deafen for Students

deafened; deafening

: to make unable to hear

We were deafened by the explosion.

Medical Dictionary

deafen

verb deaf·en \ ˈdef-ən \

medical Definition of deafen

deafened; deafening play \-(ə-)niŋ\

transitive verb

: to make deaf

intransitive verb

: to cause deafness or stun one with noise

—

deafeningly

play \-(ə-)niŋ-lē\ adverb

Learn More about deafen

Spanish Central: Translation of deafen Nglish: Translation of deafen for Spanish speakers

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deafen

Definition of deafen

Examples of deafen in a Sentence

Recent Examples of deafen from the Web

First Known Use of deafen

DEAFEN Defined for English Language Learners

deafen

Definition of deafen for English Language Learners

DEAFEN Defined for Kids

deafen

Definition of deafen for Students

Medical Dictionary

deafen

medical Definition of deafen

deafeningly

Learn More about deafen

Seen and Heard

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