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deafened; deafening
ˈde-fə-niŋ
ˈdef-niŋ
; deafens
: to make permanently or temporarily deaf
was deafened by the explosion
Examples of deafen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The first indication that something had gone terribly wrong on the upper floors of 1626 Lexington Avenue arrived in the form of a deafening sound wave.
—Steven Johnson, New York Times, 17 May 2024
Tracks still border one side of the park, and trains hurtle by in deafening bursts.
—Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2024
Patterson Mill’s offense can be deafening and overwhelming.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 2024
Jeremy Brewer told jurors Tuesday that the gunshots were deafening.
—James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024
To find out what time a particular bar will start blasting Priest at deafening volumes, just phone them up and pray the bartender can hear you over the stereo.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024
The film triumphed in the second category honored, for special visual effects, to deafening applause and went on to win for costume design, makeup and hair and production design.
—Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2024
The deafening clang of machinery fades into the background, replaced by the dull ache of a throbbing injury.
—Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
Buzzing calls for mates Male cicadas are known for their deafening mating call, which in 2021 was reported to reach as high as 90 to 100 decibels, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
—Solcyré Burga, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deafen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1597, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near deafen
Cite this Entry
“Deafen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deafen. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
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