verb · 10 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈdɛdən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ɛdən
CMU ARPABET:D EH1 D AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To render less lively; to diminish; to muffle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
deaden the pain
deaden sound
deaden the senses
Painkillers helped to deaden the pain.
Thick curtains deaden the sound of traffic.
Routine can deaden one’s enthusiasm.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To become less lively; to diminish (by itself).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To make soundproof.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
to deaden a wall or a floor
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
convert (metallic mercury) into a grey powder consisting of minute globules, as by shaking with chalk or fatty oil
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: convert
5
verb
Meaning 5
make less lively, intense, or vigorous; impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation