1. to make less intense, strong, or effective; to reduce the force or feeling of something
2. to make a sound quieter or less sharp
3. to make numb or less sensitive

Examples

• The thick curtains helped deaden the noise from the street.
• Pain medication can deaden the sensation in your injured arm.
• The carpet will deaden the sound of footsteps upstairs.
• Years of criticism had deadened his enthusiasm for writing.
• The dentist used novocaine to deaden the nerve before drilling.
• Heavy snow tends to deaden all sounds in the forest.
• The shock absorbers deaden the impact of bumps in the road.