numb

1. (transitive) To cause to become numb (physically or emotionally).Examples: "The dentist gave me novocaine to numb my tooth before drilling, thank goodness."; "When I first heard the news, I was numbed by the shock."; "The ravviſh danke of clumzie vvinter ramps / The fluent ſummers vaine: and drizling ſleete / Chilleth the vvan bleak cheek of the numd earth, / VVhilſt ſnarling guſts nibble the iuyceles leaues, / From the nak't ſhuddring branch; […]"Synonyms: benumbtransitive

2. (transitive) To cause (a feeling) to be less intense.Examples: "He turned to alcohol to numb his pain."; "[I was] thankful for the pain, which helped to numb my terror."Synonyms: dulltransitive

3. (transitive) To cause (the mind, faculties, etc.) to be less acute.Examples: "[…] hunger, fatigue, and despairing hopelessness had numbed his brain […]"; "The noise, the rush of air past our ears, was positively terrific. It actually seemed to numb the senses and make it almost impossible to take in impressions at all."; "[The sofa] exhaled a breath of trapped ancient farts, barf-smell, and antiseptic, the parfum de asylum that gradually numbed my nose to all other scents on the ward."Synonyms: dulltransitive

4. (intransitive) To become numb (especially physically).Examples: "[…] after fumbling with numbing fingers for ten or fifteen minutes, he waved his hand with a gesture of despair […]"; "[…] once more his feet began to numb. Again he got down and stamped the circulation going, but as soon as he began to ride again they numbed."intransitive