fatten

[fat-n]

See more synonyms for fatten on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to make fat.
to feed (animals) abundantly before slaughter.
to enrich: to fatten the soil; to fatten one's pocketbook.

Cards.
1. Poker.to increase the number of chips in (a pot).
2. Pinochle.to play a card that scores high on (a trick) expected to be taken by a partner.

verb (used without object)

to grow fat.

Origin of fatten

First recorded in 1545–55; fat + -en¹

Related formsfat·ten·a·ble, adjectivefat·ten·er, nouno·ver·fat·ten, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for fatten

Contemporary Examples

We should judge innovators not on whether they fatten our wallets, but whether their products enrich our lives.
Never Mind Inequality: Silicon Valley Enriches All of Our Lives
Gregory Ferenstein
May 30, 2013
The Drug Enforcement Administration partners with local police forces to fatten budgets with seizures from dealers.
Whitney Houston Death: How Sane Drug Laws May Have Prevented It
Mansfield Frazier
February 12, 2012
So where are the angry headlines and government initiatives to fatten up our jockeys?
What's Wrong With Skinny?
Lisa Hilton
February 8, 2010

Historical Examples

He began to joke, and told his brother that he would undertake to fatten him.
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
But the principal use to which we put them is to fatten our pigs.
Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2)
William Delisle Hay
Are men who have these institutions only to eat and fatten like beasts?
Laws
Plato
As for me, I am over-young to break my neck and be left on the mountain-side to fatten crows.
The Shame of Motley
Raphael Sabatini
Fatten them up well, and the foreigners will give me good prices.'
The Little Girl Lost
Eleanor Raper

British Dictionary definitions for fatten

fatten

verb

to grow or cause to grow fat or fatter
(tr) to cause (an animal or fowl) to become fat by feeding it
(tr) to make fuller or richer
(tr) to enrich (soil) by adding fertilizing agents

Derived Formsfattenable, adjectivefattener, nounfattening, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for fatten

v.

1550s, from fat + -en (1). Related: Fattened. The earlier verb was simply fat (Old English fættian "to become fat, fatten"); e.g. fatted calf.

fatten

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}fatten

Examples from the Web for fatten

Contemporary Examples

We should judge innovators not on whether they fatten our wallets, but whether their products enrich our lives.

The Drug Enforcement Administration partners with local police forces to fatten budgets with seizures from dealers.

So where are the angry headlines and government initiatives to fatten up our jockeys?

Historical Examples

He began to joke, and told his brother that he would undertake to fatten him.

But the principal use to which we put them is to fatten our pigs.

Are men who have these institutions only to eat and fatten like beasts?

As for me, I am over-young to break my neck and be left on the mountain-side to fatten crows.

Fatten them up well, and the foreigners will give me good prices.'

fatten

Word Origin and History for fatten

v.

Origin of fatten