blacken
Americanverb (used with object)
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blackens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blackened,
past participle, past
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blackening
present participle
verb (used without object)
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blackens,
present (3rd person singular)
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blackened,
past participle, past
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blackening
present participle
verb
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to make or become black or dirty
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(tr) to defame; slander (esp in the phrase blacken someone's name )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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blackensimple
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blackenssimple
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have blackenedperfect
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has blackenedperfect
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am blackeningprogressive
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are blackeningprogressive
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is blackeningprogressive
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have been blackeningperfect progressive
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has been blackeningperfect progressive
Past
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blackenedsimple
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had blackenedperfect
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was blackeningprogressive
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were blackeningprogressive
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had been blackeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of blacken
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at black, -en 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A new scientific review suggests that Polygonum multiflorum, a root used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than a thousand years to "blacken hair and nourish essence," could be a promising alternative for managing AGA.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2026
These incidents may temporarily blacken the eyes of the NBA and Major League Baseball but sports gambling is here to stay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
Tossed with some sliced cabbage that’s spread on the pan next to the tofu, the sauce helps the thinner cabbage pieces singe and blacken appealingly.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
Other than that, their meat was a pinch drier than some of the other methods, and their skin got crispy in spots but began to blacken in others before it could become consistently golden.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2022
Instead he'touched the letter to the candle flame and watched the parchment blacken, curl, and flare up.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
When the ice blackens it's ability to reflect the sun diminishes and this accelerates the melting of the ice.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
In a clearing of Colombia's Pacific jungle, the dense canopy encircles an area of desolation left by a clandestine refinery, where oil waste blackens everything underfoot, seeping into the soil and coating the vegetation.
From Reuters ● Dec. 26, 2022
A plume of smoke rises up above the streetlamps and blackens the sky.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 26, 2019
Partridges, pheasants and quail to roast; pigeons to bring to tenderness slowly with red wine and onions, and quails to split, skewer and grill until their skin blackens and their bones crunch.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 8, 2017
Raising a cloud of dirt and debris that blackens the sky.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Another builds rainbow-colored bowls overflowing with blackened chicken, rice, leafy greens, fresh vegetables and other thoughtfully placed garnishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Close to the scene where the remains were found, patches of ground appeared blackened and some vegetation showed signs of fire damage.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Salisbury was colorful: A mixed martial arts enthusiast, he once appeared at the agency’s headquarters with his face bruised and eye blackened from a recent bout.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
A crew of men with blackened faces wearing steel hats with flashlights attached stands in the dark “Anthracite Coal Mine Near Pottsville, Pennsylvania,” photographed by Jack Delano in 1938.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
The windows were all gone but the brick shell of the house remained, damp and blackened and steaming, and most of the roof, the dark slate shingles gleaming like fish scales from their recent soaking.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
The mood among many Labour MPs is darkening, even blackening.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
That’s why even when a fire is 100% contained, it can still be blackening acres of land, and firefighters can still be battling to keep it from getting out of control.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
Algae lying dormant on the ice starts blooming in spring blackening large areas of the ice.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
Drone footage showed fierce flames blackening hundreds of containers on the dock, with water jets from a fire truck dwarfed by the scale of the blaze that broke out on Monday.
From Reuters ● Feb. 7, 2023
She buys toilet paper that we can take down the hall to the lavatory and that, she says, is better than having the headlines from the Daily News blackening your arse.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
