verb
Meaning 1
To make numb, as by cold or anesthetic.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
benumb
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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bē-nŭmʹ
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/biˈnʌm/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ʌm
verb
Meaning 2
To deaden, dull (the mind, faculties, etc.).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
make numb or insensitive
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The shock numbed her senses
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: numb, blunt, dull
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: desensitize, desensitise
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h1ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h1épsder. Proto-Indo-European *h1epider. Proto-Indo-European *h1pi Proto-Germanic *bider. Proto-Germanic *bi- Proto-West Germanic *bi- Old English be- Middle English bi- English be- English numb English benumb From be- + numb.