blacken
Americanverb (used with 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 (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
You’re not looking to fully blacken every kernel, just enough scorch to bring out that toasty, nutty edge.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2025
“It seems to be designed to blacken the name of an actor who has not breached a contract or missed a day’s shooting in a career spanning 20 years,” he said in written arguments.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2023
In case my friends’ grammar and punctuation weren’t upsetting enough, the fact that nobody thought there might be a problem with ME was enough to blacken my mood pretty thoroughly.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
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
A plume of smoke rises up above the streetlamps and blackens the sky.
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 26, 2019
Darkened red looks brown and whitened red turns pink, Dufy said, while yellow blackens with shading and fades away in the light.
From New York Times ● Oct. 25, 2012
The space in front of me blackens, then clears.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
As access reopened mid-morning, AFP saw the blackened remains of several burnt-out cars along roads near Omis, some ringed by silver puddles of metal that had melted under the intense heat of the fires.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Greek firefighters faced another day of battling flames in high-risk conditions for new ignitions on Friday as France and Spain hoped for reprieve from massive infernos that blackened swathes of terrain.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 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
Inside, the furniture, walls and ceiling are completely blackened, and parts of the ceiling is peeling off.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Despite the lack of leaves, the blackened trunks and fingerlike branches filled in all gaps, making the forest a huge ruin of impenetrability.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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
California’s largest wildfire so far this year was significantly surrounded Monday after blackening a swath of hilly grasslands between San Francisco Bay and the Central Valley.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 3, 2024
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.
