What does NUMB mean?

Definitions for NUMB
nʌmnumb

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word NUMB.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. asleep(p), benumbed, numbadjective

    lacking sensation

    "my foot is asleep"; "numb with cold"

  2. dead(p), numb(p)adjective

    (followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive

    "passersby were dead to our plea for help"; "numb to the cries for mercy"

  3. numbverb

    so frightened as to be unable to move; stunned or paralyzed with terror; petrified

    "too numb with fear to move"

  4. numb, benumb, blunt, dullverb

    make numb or insensitive

    "The shock numbed her senses"

Wiktionary

  1. numbverb

    To cause to become numb.

    The dentist gave me novocaine to numb my tooth before drilling, thank goodness.

  2. numbadjective

    Without the power of sensation and motion or feeling; insensible.

  3. numbadjective

    Who not able to react, surprised, shocked

  4. Etymology: From the past participle of nim

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. NUMBadjective

    Etymology: benumen, benumbed , Saxon.

    Like a stony statue, cold and numb. William Shakespeare.

    Leaning long upon any part maketh it numb and asleep; for that the compression of the part suffereth not the spirits to have free access; and therefore when we come out of it, we feel a stinging or pricking, which is the re-entrance of the spirits. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

    When we both lay in the field,
    Frozen almost to death, how he did lap me
    Ev’n in his garments, and did give himself
    All thin and naked to the numb cold night. William Shakespeare.

  2. To Numbverb

    To make torpid; to make dull of motion or sensation; to deaden; to stupify.

    Bedlam beggars, with roaring voices
    Strike in their numb’d and mortify’d bare arms,
    Pins, wooden pricks, nails, sprigs of rosemary;
    And with this horrible object, from low farms,
    Inforce their charity. William Shakespeare, K. Lear.

    She can unlock
    The clasping charm, and thaw the numbing spell. John Milton.

    Plough naked, swain, and naked sow the land,
    For lazy winter numbs the lab’ring hand. Dryden.

    Nought shall avail
    The pleasing song, or well repeated tale,
    When the quick spirits their warm march forbear,
    And numbing coldness has unbrac’d the ear. Matthew Prior.

    The fool numbs me like the torpor. Henry St. John Bolingbroke, to Swift.

Wikipedia

  1. Numb

    Numb is a song by American singer August Alsina, released on December 10, 2013, as the third single from his debut studio album Testimony (2014). The song was produced by DJ Mustard and features guest appearances from American rappers B.o. B and Yo Gotti. When it was originally released in October 2013 it featured West Coast rappers Iamsu! and Problem. The song has since peaked at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

ChatGPT

  1. numb

    Numb is a state where a person or an area of the body lacks sensation or the ability to feel, typically as a result of injury, cold, anesthesia, or shock. It can also refer to being unable to think, feel, or react normally due to overwhelming emotions, circumstances, or experiences.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Numbadjective

    enfeebled in, or destitute of, the power of sensation and motion; rendered torpid; benumbed; insensible; as, the fingers or limbs are numb with cold

  2. Numbadjective

    producing numbness; benumbing; as, the numb, cold night

  3. Numbverb

    to make numb; to deprive of the power of sensation or motion; to render senseless or inert; to deaden; to benumb; to stupefy

  4. Etymology: [OE. nume, nome, prop., seized, taken, p. p. of nimen to take, AS. niman, p. p. numen. 7. See Nimble, Nomad, and cf. Benumb.]

Wikidata

  1. Numb

    "Numb" is a song by rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1993 album Zooropa and was released in June 1993 as the album's first single. The song features a monotonous mantra of "don't" commands spoken by guitarist The Edge amidst a backdrop of various sound effects and samples. The noisy composition and lyrical concept for "Numb" were inspired by the theme of sensory overload, which had prominently been incorporated into the Zoo TV Tour. U2 lead vocalist Bono and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. provided backing vocals on the track. "Numb" originated as a discarded song from the Achtung Baby recording sessions called "Down All the Days." While recording Zooropa, the band transformed the song with mixing assistance from co-producer Flood, the addition of keyboards and samples by co-producer Brian Eno, and the addition of The Edge's monotone vocals. The song was released as a VHS single, featuring a music video directed by Kevin Godley, but it did not attain widespread commercial success. U2 added "Numb" to their live setlists after resuming their Zoo TV Tour in May 1993.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Numb

    num, adj. deprived of sensation or motion: powerless to feel or act: stupefied: motionless: (Shak.) causing numbness.—v.t. to make numb: to deaden: to render motionless:—pr.p. numbing (num′ing); pa.p. numbed (numd).—adj. Numb′-cold (Shak.), numbed with cold: causing numbness.—n. Numb′ness, state of being numb: condition of living body in which it has lost the power of feeling: torpor. [A.S. numen, pa.p. of niman, to take; so Ice. numinn, bereft.]

Suggested Resources

  1. numb

    Song lyrics by numb -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by numb on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. NUMB

    What does NUMB stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the NUMB acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of NUMB in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of NUMB in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of NUMB in a Sentence

  1. Lee Jenkins:

    The devil just came and took something from me, i’m numb within and it’s only the Holy Spirit that’s keeping me together.

  2. Valerie Amos:

    The government, armed and terrorist groups continue to kill, maim, rape, torture and take Syria to new lows that seemed unimaginable a few years ago, people have become numb to figures that should, every day, shock our collective conscience.

  3. James Comey:

    I kind of shrug and sometimes smile and laugh about it and then I have a secondary reaction, which is to be horrified at my own numb reaction, right ? we have to remind ourselves the President of the United States of America is publicly announcing that people are committing crimes, that they should be in jail.

  4. Katsuhide Nagamatsu:

    It feels like I’ve lost track of how many times there was a state of emergency, everyone is numb to it now.

  5. Gary Lincoln-Hope:

    The jump was colder than I was hoping. Everything was very numb.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

NUMB#10000#23051#100000

Translations for NUMB

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"NUMB." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 22 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/NUMB>.

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