freshen

[ fresh-uh n ]

/ ˈfrɛʃ ən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR freshen ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to make fresh; refresh, revive, or renew: We need a good rain to freshen the flowers.

to remove saltiness from.

Nautical. to preserve (a rope in use) from prolonged friction or concentrated stress on any one part.

verb (used without object)

to become or grow fresh.

(of a cow)

to commence giving milk after calving.
to give birth.

Verb Phrases

freshen up, to make oneself feel freshly clean or neat, as by washing, changing clothes, etc.: to freshen up after a long trip.

Nearby words

fresh breeze, fresh frozen plasma, fresh gale, fresh out of, fresh-run, freshen, freshener, fresher, freshet, freshie, freshman

Origin of freshen

First recorded in 1690–1700; fresh + -en¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for freshen

He bravely promises to “deliver life-changing results” to those with deep enough pockets to freshen up and stop aging.
The New World of Anti-Aging Dentistry|Kent Sepkowitz|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe you think Botox is no big deal—a quick lunchtime jab to freshen up the face?
Nicole Kidman Botox Insanity: Why All Women Lose Out When We Obsess Over Stars’ Faces|Emma Woolf|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Talking to NPR, scholar Quentin Taylor tries to freshen up the metaphor.
The Daily Beast Recommends|The Daily Beast|April 7, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She aroused herself once or twice to freshen the fire, but was ignorant how the night was going.
A Changed Man and Other Tales|Thomas Hardy

But he would not answer, and she felt Moore's foot seeking Blair's to freshen his resolve.
A Man of Two Countries|Alice Harriman
He hoped the breeze would not freshen much before they arrived.
Kit Musgrave's Luck|Harold Bindloss
But before that time was up, the sails were one after another reefed, for the wind continued to freshen.
With Wolfe in Canada|G. A. Henty
A light rain had fallen the night before, just enough to beat down the dust and freshen the landscape.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for freshen

freshen

/ (ˈfrɛʃən) /

verb

to make or become fresh or fresher

(often foll by up) to refresh (oneself), esp by washing

(intr) (of the wind) to increase

to lose or cause to lose saltiness

(intr) mainly US

(of farm animals) to give birth
(of cows) to commence giving milk after calving

Derived Forms

freshener, noun

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

freshen

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of freshen

Examples from the Web for freshen

British Dictionary definitions for freshen

freshen

verb

Derived Forms