redden
Americanverb (used with object)
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reddens,
present (3rd person singular)
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reddened,
past participle, past
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reddening
present participle
verb (used without object)
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reddens,
present (3rd person singular)
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reddened,
past participle, past
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reddening
present participle
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to become red.
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to blush; flush.
verb
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to make or become red
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(intr) to flush with embarrassment, anger, etc; blush
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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reddensimple
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reddenssimple
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have reddenedperfect
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has reddenedperfect
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am reddeningprogressive
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are reddeningprogressive
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is reddeningprogressive
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have been reddeningperfect progressive
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has been reddeningperfect progressive
Past
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reddenedsimple
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had reddenedperfect
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was reddeningprogressive
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were reddeningprogressive
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had been reddeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of redden
Explanation
When something reddens, its color changes so that it looks red. In autumn, the leaves on some trees redden before they fall to the ground. If the sky reddens at dusk, you might remember the rhyme "red sky at night, sailor's delight." Pale people redden too, when they blush or flush with embarrassment. A child coloring a picture with crayons might redden the sky and shade the trees blue and purple. The Old English root, meaning "become red," is readian.
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.
See Examples For:
Ever wondered why your cheeks redden when all eyes are on you?
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2024
Dust can absorb blue light, and redden the object.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 26, 2022
From its color, Ellis and his colleagues knew at least some of its stars were mature, because they tend to redden with age.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 30, 2022
Bliss “is the exact reason women and men don’t report these crimes,” Feden said, as Bliss’ face appeared to redden.
From Reuters ● Apr. 26, 2018
I could see Selena’s face redden as she stood up and shoved the phone into the back pocket of her jeans.
From "The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Pérez
I suspect the raw, honest anger that reddens her eyes comes from a place of knowing and experience.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2023
The first signs can be harmless, similar to mild side effects that usually pass quickly: after a shot, the skin around the injection site reddens; after taking drops, the oral mucosa itches.
From Scientific American ● May 4, 2023
He explained he takes antibiotics every day as he has rosacea, which reddens and can deform the face.
From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2022
Ceylon has a yellow perianth with a rich orange cup that reddens over the blooming period.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2021
My face reddens as I realize I’m confessing to having been thrown out of two homes.
From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline
The heat from the fire melted the paint on some helmets and reddened the skin in the small gaps between the masks, Marchuk said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
He edged back into the contest with a right hook in the fifth as Ball - hampered by his nose, with his torso and shorts reddened - showed signs of slowing down.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2024
Three bulldogs had mucousy, reddened or cloudy eyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2024
These analyses revealed that reddened cells not only had a high concentration of diadinoxanthin, the most abundant carotenoid in E. gracilis, but also produced an unidentified xanthophyll-type carotenoid.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2024
When she was questioned her eyes widened until the whites showed all around the pupils and her breathing stopped and her body grew rigid and her cheeks reddened from holding her breath.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
He described how there was a reddening of the skin around Noah's forehead as well as "extensive maceration and peeling" of his hands and feet.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
It isn’t blood reddening Kelson’s skin, but iodine.
From Salon ● Jan. 23, 2026
Wise, his face visibly reddening, stood up and asked, Can we not talk about me?
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2024
Interestingly, the researchers found that strong red-light irradiation at 605-660 nm triggered a reddening reaction in E. gracilis when cultured in bonito stock.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 15, 2024
“Oh, that’s all right now...” murmured my godfather, Deacon McNair, from his seat on the dais next to the minister, while Mommy twitched in her seat watching Billy, her face reddening.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
