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
Advertisement Advertisement Code of Silence (BritBox) In this UK drama, police tracking a criminal organization that meets in locations that can’t be bugged recruit a deaf canteen employee, Alison Brooks (Rose Ayling-Ellis), to read suspects’ lips in surveillance videos.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 July 2025
Without dominance in orbit, terrestrial forces would be deaf, blind, and largely immobile.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
Pro golfer Kevin Hall is Reaching Out alumni Reaching Out's most famous alumni may be deaf golfer Kevin Hall, who turned pro in 2005 after attending Ohio State University on a golf scholarship.
—Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 28 July 2025
The parade was led by grand marshal Rachel Arfa, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the first deaf person ever appointed to a mayor’s cabinet in the United States, according to the MOPD website.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
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Judy Berman, Time, 30 July 2025
Without dominance in orbit, terrestrial forces would be deaf, blind, and largely immobile.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 28 July 2025
Pro golfer Kevin Hall is Reaching Out alumni Reaching Out's most famous alumni may be deaf golfer Kevin Hall, who turned pro in 2005 after attending Ohio State University on a golf scholarship.
—Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 28 July 2025
The parade was led by grand marshal Rachel Arfa, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and the first deaf person ever appointed to a mayor’s cabinet in the United States, according to the MOPD website.
—Katherine Weaver, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 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 3 Aug. 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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