deafen

«deafen» in Mova's school dictionary: To make so much noise that people cannot hear anything… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (deafen, deafens, deafened, deafening)

meaning for a pupil

1) To make so much noise that people cannot hear anything else, or can hardly hear for a while: «The music deafened us». tree →

2) To damage someone's hearing or make them deaf: «The explosion deafened him in one ear». tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons on sound, very loud noises (measured in decibels) can damage the tiny hair cells in the inner ear; ear defenders and earplugs protect hearing at concerts, fireworks and in noisy jobs. In stories, «deafening» noise and «deafening silence» add drama. Phrases: «a deafening roar», «deafening noise», «a deafening silence» (a silence that is very noticeable, often after something awkward).

examples

• The cheers of the crowd deafened us. tree →
• The fireworks were so loud they nearly deafened the dog. tree →
• Wear ear defenders so the drills don't deafen you. tree →
• The explosion deafened him in one ear. tree →
• There was a deafening roar as the rocket took off. tree →
• When the teacher asked who broke the window, there was a deafening silence. tree →
• He next hastened to the aviary, and was almost deafened by the clamour that rose as he shut the door behind him. tree →

note

Said «DEF-un» (the «deaf» part rhymes with «chef»). The adjective «deafening» (very loud) is used more than the verb. Respectful language: «deaf» is a normal word, and many Deaf people use sign language (BSL in the UK, ASL in the USA and Canada, Auslan in Australia).

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «deafen» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.