darken
Americanverb (used with object)
-
darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
-
to become dark or darker.
-
to become obscure.
-
to become less white or clear in color.
-
to grow clouded, as with gloom or anger.
-
to become blind.
idioms
verb
-
to make or become dark or darker
-
to make or become gloomy, angry, or sad
his mood darkened
-
(usually used with a negative) to visit someone
never darken my door again!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
darkensimple
-
darkenssimple
-
have darkenedperfect
-
has darkenedperfect
-
am darkeningprogressive
-
are darkeningprogressive
-
is darkeningprogressive
-
have been darkeningperfect progressive
-
has been darkeningperfect progressive
Past
-
darkenedsimple
-
had darkenedperfect
-
was darkeningprogressive
-
were darkeningprogressive
-
had been darkeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of darken
First recorded in 1250–1300, darken is from the Middle English word derknen. See dark, -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:
Scattered through old Southern community and church cookbooks are recipes for spiced Saltines: butter-soaked, herb-flecked, oven-baked until they darken to a toastier shade of gold.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
"Think of photochromic sunglasses. When you're inside, they're just clear lenses. You walk out into the sun, and they darken on their own. Come back inside, and the lenses become clear again," Nguyen continued.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
Both light sources darken skin through the same biological process: UV rays change the structure and chemical profile of DNA in the skin, which then produces more melanin in order to prevent further damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
But uncertainty about the course of the war and higher prices at gas stations have continued to darken consumers’ mood in the weeks since, said Joanne Hsu, the survey’s director.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
Wait for the beard to darken our boy’s cheek; then marry whom you will, and move away.’
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Include them and Americans’ average level of preparation for retirement darkens considerably.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The expansion of plant life darkens the snow and ice, reducing its reflectivity and causing the surrounding area to warm up, triggering ice and snow melt.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
At some point, the room darkens, and the crowd watches the jacket glow — she becomes a bioluminescent creature in human form.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Space weathering, caused by solar wind particles, micrometeorite impacts, and cosmic radiation, slowly darkens exposed material.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 8, 2026
The city darkens as I reach its border, a wide dirt clearing a few yards wide that separates Lkossa from the first of the Greater Jungle’s towering black pines.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The darkened fragments then complete their descent, with atmospheric winds potentially pushing them away from their original trajectories before they land as meteorites.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
High diesel costs have only darkened the scenario.
From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026
Those summer clouds that had darkened the atmosphere among fans had lingered into the start of this Nations League campaign.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
As I moved from darkened room to darkened room, ridiculed in one, flirted with in another, a thread of finding one’s own personal paradise in a hellscape began to emerge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
We crossed the lobby and entered the darkened theater.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
On Tuesday, the IMF will unveil its global economic forecast, along with detailed regional outlooks through the week, as policymakers set about tackling the challenges darkening the economic horizon.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026
The supplier to major automakers, including BMW, Volkswagen and Ford slashed its medium-term sales expectations against a darkening backdrop for the industry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
"The darkening overlaps exactly with the fern spike, the main extinction interval, and elevated abundance of charcoal and PAHs."
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
When he first noticed the sky darkening, Chapman thought a storm was coming.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The herd startled in unison and peeled away into the darkening woods, their white tails flashing.
From "Pax" by Sara Pennypacker
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
