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
If the VX4 ever were to become the mass public transport that Vertical wants it to be, it might literally blacken the skies.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2022
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
“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
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
Jane Ward is turning the blackened, mouldy pages of a Mr Men book.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 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
A hunting lodge stands beside pine forest burned by a wildfire that started July 22 and blackened about 104,000 acres in and around Le Porge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 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
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
“But some people are blackening the Party’s name.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 12, 2024
She stared intently at her marshmallow, holding it outside the lower flames to avoid blackening it.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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.
