ripen
verb (used with or without object)
to make or become ripe.
had ripened
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past perfectof ripen.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
What had been a prediction had ripened into reality.
From New York Times ● Nov. 15, 2021
Once the bananas had ripened in New Jersey, they were loaded into trucks again.
From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2017
Publicly, the Obama administration pointed to the evidence of chemical weapons use, which one senior administration official said had "ripened" in the last two weeks.
From Reuters ● Jun. 15, 2013
Forecasters had been warning of bad weather since last Wednesday and on Sunday said conditions had ripened for powerful tornadoes.
From Time ● May 20, 2013
Six crops of persimmons and wild grapes had ripened.
From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong
