deepen

[dee-puhn]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become deep or deeper: deep.

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

2. Meteorology.,  to decrease in atmospheric pressure.

   a deepening cyclone.

deepen

/ ˈdiːpən /

verb

1. to make or become deep, deeper, or more intense

Other Word Forms

• deepener noun
• deepeningly adverb
• overdeepen verb (used with object)
• undeepened adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deepen¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; deep + -en ¹

Example Sentences

The German defence minister's presence underlines the deepening defence relationship with the UK.

Read more on BBC

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, appearing alongside Johnson, said staff in control towers were voicing deepening anger over the shutdown, which has led to an estimated 1.4 million federal workers going without pay.

Read more on Barron's

“We can expect Russia to deepen ties with non-Western buyers such as China and India, which could redraw pricing structures and long-term supply routes. It’s an immediate geopolitical and economic realignment.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Its identity as a central training ground for Black medical professionals deepened in 1967, when the hospital formally came under the direction of Howard University, one of the nation’s most storied historically Black institutions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"The provision of culture and leisure services is important to help improve longer-term physical and mental wellbeing, linked to activity across a range of other services, and reducing them risks deepening inequalities," it said.

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Related Words

• aggravate 
• develop 
• enhance 
• expand 
• heighten 
• increase 
• intensify 
• redouble 
• reinforce 
• strengthen