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Definition of deafen

deafen

/ˈdɛf.ən/
deaf · en
Adverb:deafeningly
•
Adjective:deafening
•
Past Simple:deafened
•
Past Participle:deafened
•
Present Participle:deafening
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deafen Lexical Profile

deafen Game Scores & Validity

• verb

1

To cause someone to lose the ability to hear, either temporarily or permanently, typically by exposure to an extremely loud noise.

Example

"The sudden roar of the jet engine overhead threatened to deafen the ground crew."

2

To overwhelm or drown out other sounds with an extremely loud noise.

Example

"The cheering of the stadium crowd was loud enough to deafen the announcer's voice."

3

To make a floor, wall, or partition soundproof or less permeable to sound.

Example

"The builders used thick mineral wool to deafen the partition walls between the apartments."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for deafen
Antonyms
View all antonyms for deafen

• Rhymes for deafen

• Nearby Words

deadzone
deaf
deafblind
deafen
deafening
deafeningly
deafish

Word Origin & Etymology

Formed in the late 16th century from the Old English adjective deaf ('lacking the sense of hearing') combined with the verbal suffix -en.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Deafen. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/deafen
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