Synonyms

deepen

American

[dee-puhn] / ˈdi pən /

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become deep or deeper.

Larger ships will be able to navigate the river after the main channel is deepened. The shadows deepened toward late afternoon.
Meteorology. to decrease in atmospheric pressure.

a deepening cyclone.

deepen British

/ ˈdiːpən /

verb

to make or become deep, deeper, or more intense

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of deepen

First recorded in 1595–1605; deep + -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.

That new perspective could deepen scientists' understanding of both healthy memory and the biological changes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily • Jul. 12, 2026

"Incidents like this that you see on top of the bonfire only deepen those fears and make people question whether they are fully and truly accepted and safe in Northern Ireland."

From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026

“These partnerships help us deepen fandom and create more ways for members to carry those stories with them throughout their day.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

Subsequently, he lobbied for small groups of EU states to deepen their integration and pool resources to accelerate growth in technology, defense and finance, an approach he dubbed pragmatic federalism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 6, 2026

Mabel's breaths deepen and steady with sleep, and I am awake, mind swarming.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023