deafening

adjective

deaf·en·ing | \ ˈde-fə-niŋ

How to pronounce deafening (audio)

, ˈdef-niŋ\

Definition of deafening

1 : that deafens

2 : very loud : earsplitting fell with a deafening clap

3 : very noticeable their silence on the issue was deafening

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Examples of deafening in a Sentence

the deafening roar of the planes a boom box blasting deafening music

Recent Examples on the Web

Youssef En-Nesyri, who had come on in the second half as a substitute, rose over both Pique and Ramos to powerfully head past De Gea on minute 81, prompting a deafening roar as the Morocco fans erupted in effusive celebration. — SI.com, "Spain 2-2 Morocco: Late Drama Sees La Roja Top Group B After Falling Behind Twice," 25 June 2018 As the canopy fell to earth out of view, the two pilots were suddenly exposed to high winds, turbulence, and a deafening noise. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Cockpit Canopy Falls Off F-15 at 30,000 Feet, Pilot Lands the Damn Jet Anyway," 7 Jan. 2019 Yet the complete judicial disaccord on gun rights in the decade since Heller has met with a deafening silence from the justices. — Ilya Shapiro, WSJ, "The Supreme Court Is Too Gun-Shy on the Second Amendment," 2 Jan. 2019 The first time there’s a crucial catch/non-catch that America sees was called wrong on the field and could have been easily fixed by replay and wasn’t, the outcry will be deafening. — Peter King, SI.com, "Odell Beckham Trade to the Rams: Counting the Ways The Rumored Blockbuster Could Make Sense," 28 Mar. 2018 The only sound McNamee heard was the deafening white noise from above, punctuated by snaps and pops and hisses. — Sean Flynn, Esquire, "The Perfect Fire," 9 Mar. 2017 But underneath the thrilling music, the glossy stars, and the deafening Oscar buzz, the movie discretely turns the idea of what an onscreen manly-man should look like. — Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "A Star Is Born," 5 Oct. 2018 The resistance to movements like #MeToo tends to come not in grand claps, but in soft hums, low and slow and nearly imperceptible until, the whole thing accumulates into a din that becomes deafening. — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, "When the White House Is a Safe Space," 6 July 2018 The community caught wind of their romance, and its disapproval was predictably deafening. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "Disobedience Is Much More Than a Forbidden-Love Story," 10 May 2018

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

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Statistics for deafening

Last Updated

23 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for deafening

The first known use of deafening was in 1597

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More Definitions for deafening

deafening

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of deafening

: extremely loud

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