deafen

“The desire to deafen and respond with noise reflects a kind of discredit of the political discourse,” Christian Salmon, a French essayist and columnist for the online publication Slate, said in an interview.

From New York Times ● May 22, 2023

Jamming “can blind and deafen an aircraft very quickly and very dangerously, especially if you lose GPS and radar and you’re a jet flying at 600 miles an hour.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2022

“Sirens deafen / Everything’s on fire in heaven, heaven,” she sings in what sounds like a moody lullaby.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2022

Opposing sides defecate piles of paperwork at one another, seemingly hoping to discourage or deafen the opponent.

From Golf Digest ● Dec. 6, 2018

The blast didn’t just deafen Alex, it shuddered right through him as if trying to rip out his heart.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

To recognize that the paralysis of suffering deafens us to our own emotions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2023

But indiscriminately blocking or hiding the voices of those you don’t agree with does not silence them; it only deafens you.

From Slate ● Nov. 17, 2016

Another competition of this mould - regardless of how it is packaged - would surely just add to the white noise that already deafens fans of football’s most saturated market.

From The Guardian ● Sep. 13, 2015

A seaport, South Street or otherwise, isn’t the right place to experience Dinosaur Jr.—the band is best enjoyed in a dark, enclosed room, where you can adore it viscerally, as it deafens you.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 14, 2014

Dewey’s ears ring with it—a ringing that almost deafens him to the whispery rush of Smith’s soft voice.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Others, like dolphins and whales who use sonar for navigation, will be deafened.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024

The team surgically deafened five mice and recorded their songs in a mouse-size sound studio, tricked out with infrared cameras and microphones.

From New York Times ● Sep. 20, 2023

Mohammad Wali said he was listening to a speaker address the crowd when the huge explosion temporarily deafened him.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 30, 2023

But if seismic survey operators benefitted from a dearth of environmental impact studies for many years, more and more research shows that marine life is silenced, deafened, subdued, and scattered by the major sonic impacts.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2022

Captain Cat was shouting orders, but the noise had deafened them all.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Ockwell-Smith says the volume of advice can be "deafening and confusing".

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

But these sights are drained of their warmth, depicted with a cold, eerie hum that, when it bleeds into the roar of suffering miles away, becomes a deafening cacophony.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026

I’m about to dismiss this guide as a wuss when a sudden burst of deafening growls just beyond the edge of our campsite lends credence to his words.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

“There was a stillness, a deafening silence. It was the sensation of being a kid in a room where there’s only one light source and you can see the floating particles in the air.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Anya rolled to her back, gasping as the silence of the swamp became deafening.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack