- unable to hear anything or unable to hear very well
- to become/go deaf
- She was born deaf.
- partially deaf
Extra ExamplesTopics Disabilityb2- Many of these children are profoundly deaf.
- She remained deaf until she died.
- She spoke loudly because her mother was a little deaf.
- Standing next to the machine all day left her deaf in one ear.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- be born
- become
- …
- completely
- profoundly
- stone
- …
- to
- deaf in one ear
- the deafnoun [plural] (old-fashioned) people who cannot hear
- television subtitles for the deaf
More Like This Plural adjectival nounsPlural adjectival nouns - [not before noun] deaf to something not willing to listen or pay attention to something
- He was deaf to my requests for help.
- The committee remained deaf to our suggestions.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs- be
- be born
- become
- …
- completely
- profoundly
- stone
- …
- to
- deaf in one ear
Word OriginOld English dēaf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch doof and German taub, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek tuphlos ‘blind’.
Idioms
See deaf in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee deaf in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English(as) deaf as a post
- (informal) very deafMore Like This Similes in idiomsSimiles in idioms
- (as) bald as a coot
- (as) blind as a bat
- (as) bright as a button
- (as) bold as brass
- as busy as a bee
- as clean as a whistle
- (as) dead as a/the dodo
- (as) deaf as a post
- (as) dull as ditchwater
- (as) fit as a fiddle
- as flat as a pancake
- (as) good as gold
- (as) mad as a hatter/a March hare
- (as) miserable/ugly as sin
- as old as the hills
- (as) pleased/proud as Punch
- as pretty as a picture
- (as) regular as clockwork
- (as) quick as a flash
- (as) safe as houses
- (as) sound as a bell
- (as) steady as a rock
- (as) thick as two short planks
- (as) tough as old boots
fall on deaf ears
- to be ignored or not noticed by other people
- Her advice fell on deaf ears.
turn a deaf ear (to somebody/something)
- to ignore or refuse to listen to somebody/something
- He turned a deaf ear to the rumours.
Check pronunciation:
deaf