Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
- transitive v. To make deaf, especially momentarily by a loud noise.
- transitive v. To make soundproof.
- intransitive v. To cause permanent or momentary deafness.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- v. To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently
- v. To make soundproof
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- transitive v. To make deaf; to deprive of the power of hearing; to render incapable of perceiving sounds distinctly.
- transitive v. To render impervious to sound, as a partition or floor, by filling the space within with mortar, by lining with paper, etc.
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To make deaf; deprive of the power of hearing.
- To stun; render incapable of perceiving or discriminating sounds distinctly: as, to be deafened with clamor or tumult.
- In architecture, to render impervious to sound (as a door or a partition) by means of sound-boarding or pugging.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- v. make or render deaf
- v. be unbearably loud
- v. make soundproof
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Examples
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It was incredible and made me ponder what it would have been like in pre-colonial days when flocks of birds could effectively block the sun out or the sound of hundreds of thousands (more?) birds nesting could deafen a person ...
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I am also hoping to see acceptance of sound suppressors in the U.S. so we don't have to deafen ourselves or our dogs.
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And then I take a deep breath; deafen myself to the whining, blind myself to the mess and gather up my kids and our things.
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As for the suburban commuters who in their road rage deafen us with their horns and shrieking brakes, clog our streets, pollute our air and regularly kill us, they vote elsewhere.
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The silence is your canvas, that's your frame, that's what you work on; don't try and deafen it out.
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Two recent headlines tugged at my heartstrings: Could ocean acidification deafen dolphins? and Ancient tribal language becomes extinct as last speaker dies.
Two Tragic Tastes That Taste Tragic Together « Gerry Canavan
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As a society, we too often do what I was guilty of in college: in an attempt to protect ourselves, we deafen ourselves to the stories of those who seem "different."
Chris Stedman: Listen To Lupe, Ellison And Eboo: It's Time To Hear From More Muslims
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And why the deafen silence of the normally vocal Republicans remain mute, with no loud attacks on everything the Media Imperial President has done, with no rhetorical shouting points repeated ad nauseum, just taking the high road with a few reasonable discussions over actual policy points?
Matthew Yglesias » The Think Tank Arm of the Military-Industrial Complex
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Yet television's "analysts" still deafen themselves to those cracks and booms, their ears stuffed with old clichés of voting blocs.
Charles Redfern: The 'New Evangelicals' And The Near-Silent Roar
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Jan. 15th, 2010 09: 47 pm (UTC) yeah, friend: WHO DAT?! and to make matters even more awesome, sean payton re-signed deuce mcalister to serve as an honorary captain and lead the team onto the field. the noise in the dome will deafen me all the way in my uptown apartment.
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