blacken
Americanverb (used with object)
-
blackens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blackened,
past participle, past
-
blackening
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
blackens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
blackened,
past participle, past
-
blackening
present participle
verb
-
to make or become black or dirty
-
(tr) to defame; slander (esp in the phrase blacken someone's name )
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
blackensimple
-
blackenssimple
-
have blackenedperfect
-
has blackenedperfect
-
am blackeningprogressive
-
are blackeningprogressive
-
is blackeningprogressive
-
have been blackeningperfect progressive
-
has been blackeningperfect progressive
Past
-
blackenedsimple
-
had blackenedperfect
-
was blackeningprogressive
-
were blackeningprogressive
-
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:
The herb has been used for more than 1,000 years and has traditionally been associated with "blacken hair and nourish essence."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 7, 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
She’s prepared to leave immediately should the fire worsen or smoke blacken the sky.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 12, 2022
Sarit and Itamar opted to leave the onion on the grill to blacken thoroughly — but only on the surface.
From Salon ● Dec. 2, 2021
“Are you alright? Tehlu blacken, sit down before you fall down. Are you hurt?”
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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
"The extent of the destruction blackens our hearts, I apologise for the losses," Mitsotakis said in a televised address, promising his government would stand by all those hurt by the blazes.
From Reuters ● Aug. 9, 2021
To make his own version, Mr. Garcia slowly and thoroughly blackens chiles, which form the base along with burned tortillas and cacao.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2020
A plume of smoke rises up above the streetlamps and blackens the sky.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 26, 2019
Raising a cloud of dirt and debris that blackens the sky.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
AFP video footage showed that the fire had burned down the mosque's interior carpeting and blackened the walls.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Four Marines crouch in the foreground surrounded by the blackened remains of burned trees; in the top two-thirds of the picture the black-and-white smoke of the blast billows upward, beautiful in its destruction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
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
Supermarket shelves stacked with products blackened from the fire were stacked up beneath a cratered ceiling and behind blown-out windows.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Cecilia moved round behind Betty to see what everyone else could see—a huge blackened tray recently pulled from the oven bearing a quantity of roast potatoes that still sizzled mildly.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The mood among many Labour MPs is darkening, even blackening.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2026
Algae lying dormant on the ice starts blooming in spring blackening large areas of the ice.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
The midday gray blackening, then brightening, on account of a remote and veiled disk of sun and moon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 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
One day she took a can of stove blackening and the brush and closed herself in the bedroom where she copiously blackened her left breast with the stove polish.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
