Word of the Day: Numb
If you are unable to feel a part of your body, such as your hand or a foot, it might be numb. To be numb or have numbness means that you can’t feel pain.
- Sophia’s hands and feet became numb after being outside in the cold for so long.
- After the accident, the man said that his legs were numb. Later, doctors told him he was paralyzed from the waist down.
- My hand went numb because I was sleeping in an awkward position.
- The dentist gave Tom some novocaine to numb the nerves around the tooth that she was working on. (This sentence uses “numb” as an infinitive.)
Following a traumatic experience or the death of someone you love, you might use the word “numb” to describe how you feel:
- Some survivors of the bombing said they felt numb after seeing so many of their relatives killed.
- Martha said she felt numb following the death of her mother.
- Todd said he was numb after learning that he had lost his job.
- A feeling of numbness swept over Mathilda when she learned that her cat ran away.
Note: As you can hear from the recording, the “b” at the end of “numb” is silent.
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with N page to see the list of all words starting with letter N. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
