1
: having total or partial hearing loss
deaf people
the deaf community
also
: of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss
deaf culture
deaf education
2
: unwilling to hear or listen : not to be persuaded
… when men are determined on mutiny, they are deaf to reason.—
Washington Irving
Washington IrvingExamples of deaf in a Sentence
He has been deaf since birth.
She's completely deaf in her right ear.
He's going a little deaf so you'll have to speak up.
Recent Examples on the Web
Catherine’s husband has also been unable to hear her, deaf to anything but the gonging of his own jealous rage.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Amid the heartbreak in Lewiston, where 18 people were massacred on the evening of Oct. 25, 2023, at a bowling alley hosting a youth night and a bar where deaf people were playing cornhole, the gunman's family contemplated remaining quietly in the shadows.
—Brenda Breslauer, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
The Harris-Walz campaign strategy in Michigan is clumsy and tone deaf.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
She could be heard in the video telling the officers that her husband is deaf and has cerebral palsy.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deaf 
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Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 8 Nov. 2024
Amid the heartbreak in Lewiston, where 18 people were massacred on the evening of Oct. 25, 2023, at a bowling alley hosting a youth night and a bar where deaf people were playing cornhole, the gunman's family contemplated remaining quietly in the shadows.
—Brenda Breslauer, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
The Harris-Walz campaign strategy in Michigan is clumsy and tone deaf.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
She could be heard in the video telling the officers that her husband is deaf and has cerebral palsy.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 19 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for deaf
Dictionary Entries Near deaf
Cite this Entry
“Deaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deaf. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deaf
adjective1
: wholly or partly unable to hear
2
: unwilling to hear or listen
deaf to all suggestions
deafness
noun
Medical Definition
deaf
adjective
: having total or partial hearing loss
deaf adults
also
: of or relating to people who have total or partial hearing loss
deaf education
deafness
noun
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