as in dulls
to reduce or weaken in strength or feeling
wait for the medication to numb your mouth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of numbs
This is the type of consistency that numbs fans from their love of the game.
—
Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Cold water immersion constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling, numbs sore areas, and flushes lactic acid from the muscles.
—Outside, 10 Dec. 2025
Polarity numbs himself with alcohol and can’t be bothered with God U’s suspicious new Dean, aptly named Cipher (Hamish Linklater).
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Cold water immersion constricts blood vessels, reduces swelling, numbs sore areas, and flushes lactic acid from the muscles.
—Outside, 10 Dec. 2025
Polarity numbs himself with alcohol and can’t be bothered with God U’s suspicious new Dean, aptly named Cipher (Hamish Linklater).
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for numbs
Verb
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Insisting on noninterference, Beijing offers foreign leaders capital and legitimacy without requiring transparency, human rights safeguards, or competitive elections—a model that strengthens incumbents and dulls democratic accountability.—
JANE HARMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
13 Nov. 2025
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None of that dulls the original game, nor its portrayal of Alma.—
Will Borger,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Embracing this practice also means having open conversations about long‑term care, powers of attorney, and estate plans before they’re needed; the kind of groundwork that gives families confidence and reduces stress when life inevitably shifts.—
Andrew Rosen,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
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The company claims this reduces model drift, simplifies compliance, and lowers operational overhead.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As data center revenue starts to dominate sales, hyperscale ASIC initiatives transition into sustained volume, and customer diversification diminishes earnings variability, Marvell begins to resemble less of a cyclical component supplier and more of a structural AI infrastructure platform.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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The biography is presented as a clear-eyed and evenhanded examination of Reid’s complex legacy that neither whitewashes his methods nor diminishes his accomplishments.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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By this decade, your body has started to naturally lose muscle mass, and putting on new muscle may be more difficult due to anabolic resistance, which blunts the muscle’s ability to respond to external stimuli like exercise and protein.—
Emma Loewe,
Outside,
1 Jan. 2026
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For Sanders, landing and holding a blue-chip defensive back during a losing season is a massive recruiting win that blunts any narratives of recruits fleeing the program.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
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An overreliance on tools weakens our civilization (and saps the film’s dramatic thrills).—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Jan. 2026
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Ignoring this reality weakens any serious climate plan.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Strong winds eventually pushed it back into an icy area south of Grand Haven, where it became wedged in thick ice, providing data on how much ice actually dampens strong waves.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
8 Dec. 2025
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Its shock absorber dampens noise even further by protecting against accidental movement like bumps and knocks.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
19 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Mariners traversing the bar are urged to exercise extreme caution or stay in port until the threat subsides.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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The driver was safely rescued, but their vehicle will stay in the flooded roadway, between the road closures, until the water subsides.—
Jose Fabian,
CBS News,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Numbs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/numbs. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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