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
With a relatively meager $170 million endowment, the university which employs more than 230 professors, many of whom are deaf, would struggle to recoup the loss of federal money.
—Emma Whitford, Forbes, 3 Feb. 2025
Early on, her allegiances are torn between her support of her deaf classmates and the feminist win represented by a woman being chosen to lead the university.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
Anthony, who was deaf, had no idea that the dogs had approached her, according to a GoFundMe set up in her honor.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The focus never strays far from Matlin herself, though, as archive footage is incorporated to illustrate her fight to make closed captioning mandatory, her advocacy for deaf rights, and her evolving understanding of the complex issues around deaf identity.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
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Emma Whitford, Forbes, 3 Feb. 2025
Early on, her allegiances are torn between her support of her deaf classmates and the feminist win represented by a woman being chosen to lead the university.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
Anthony, who was deaf, had no idea that the dogs had approached her, according to a GoFundMe set up in her honor.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 27 Jan. 2025
The focus never strays far from Matlin herself, though, as archive footage is incorporated to illustrate her fight to make closed captioning mandatory, her advocacy for deaf rights, and her evolving understanding of the complex issues around deaf identity.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
Cite this Entry
“Deaf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deaf. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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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