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
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
But as the ghostly figure draws nearer, its skin rots and its eyes blacken.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023
Once alone, she thrust the note in the flames, watching the parchment curl and blacken.
From "A Clash of Kings" 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
"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
His ink blackens; and in the end he can’t be kept from making a few discreet inquiries, among friends.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
As of about 6:45 p.m., the fire had blackened about 140 acres and was 7% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
This would be an idyllic scene were it not for the blackened pine and oak trees all around, the legacy of a devastating recent wildfire.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
"People see the blackened vegetation and assume that's the main impact, but the real story is below our feet," said Jones.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 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
Had my friends seen the blackened banana lying on my bed, they might have understood my father's story and enjoyed it on its own merit.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
Algae lying dormant on the ice starts blooming in spring blackening large areas of the ice.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
In contrast - and blackening the Tory mood still further - is Labour's relatively newly discovered knack of winning where they need to win in a general election.
From BBC ● May 3, 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
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.
