Deafen
/ˈdɛfən/ verb
verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently. transitive
"The head injury deafened her for life."
- 2 make soundproof wordnet
- 3 To make soundproof. transitive
"to deafen a wall or a floor"
- 4 make or render deaf wordnet
- 5 To stun, as with noise. dialectal, figuratively, rare, sometimes, transitive
"Racine left the ground […] deafened, dazzled and tired to death."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 be unbearably loud wordnet
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The head injury deafened her for life."
Etymology
From deaf + -en (verbal suffix), compare Middle English deven, deaven (“to make deaf”), Old English ādēafian (“to deafen”), Dutch verdoven (“to stupefy, deafen”), German betäuben (“to stun, stupefy, deafen”).