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
My hope is that Reunion encourages commissioners and production companies to create space for other deaf people to come forward and tell their stories.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Her brother, who lives in the Netherlands, is intellectually disabled, deaf and autistic.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The exhibit will display more than 170 objects made by disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people from 1940s and onward.
—Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
An article from The Drake Center, an animal hospital in California, stated that dogs who become deaf, especially later in life, do not typically experience anxiety about their loss of hearing.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deaf
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Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Her brother, who lives in the Netherlands, is intellectually disabled, deaf and autistic.
—Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 5 Sep. 2025
The exhibit will display more than 170 objects made by disabled, deaf and neurodivergent people from 1940s and onward.
—Violet Goldstone, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2025
An article from The Drake Center, an animal hospital in California, stated that dogs who become deaf, especially later in life, do not typically experience anxiety about their loss of hearing.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 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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