/ nʌm; NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective
1.
if a part of your body is numb , you cannot feel anything in it, for example because of cold :
to be / go numb
numb with cold
I've just been to the dentist and my face is still numb.
2.
unable to feel, think or react in the normal way :
He felt numb with shock.
—see also numbing
► numb·ly adverb :
Her life would never be the same again, she realized numbly.
► numb·ness noun [ U ]:
pain and numbness in my fingers
He was still in a state of numbness and shock from the accident.
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to make a part of your body unable to feel anything, for example because of cold :
His fingers were numbed with the cold.
2.
[ vn ] to make sb unable to feel, think or react in a normal way, for example because of an emotional shock
SYN stun :
We sat there in silence, numbed by the shock of her death.
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English nome(n) , past participle of obsolete nim take .