heighten
Americanverb (used with object)
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heightens,
present (3rd person singular)
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heightened,
past participle, past
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heightening
present participle
-
to increase the degree or amount of; augment.
Cézanne's death heightened the value of his paintings.
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to strengthen, deepen, or intensify.
to heighten the plot of a story; to heighten one's awareness or appreciation; to heighten one's suffering.
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to bring out the important features of, as in a drawing.
to heighten a picture with Chinese white.
verb (used without object)
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heightens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heightened,
past participle, past
-
heightening
present participle
-
to become higher.
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to increase.
The tension heightened as the enemy forces advanced.
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to brighten or become more intense.
verb
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to make or become high or higher
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to make or become more extreme or intense
Synonym Usage
See elevate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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heightensimple
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heightenssimple
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have heightenedperfect
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has heightenedperfect
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am heighteningprogressive
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are heighteningprogressive
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is heighteningprogressive
-
have been heighteningperfect progressive
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has been heighteningperfect progressive
Past
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heightenedsimple
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had heightenedperfect
-
was heighteningprogressive
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were heighteningprogressive
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had been heighteningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of heighten
Explanation
When you heighten something, you increase it or make it more intense. If you want to heighten awareness about homelessness, you might write an article for your local newspaper. Extreme weather can act to heighten people's concern about climate change, and publicity for a good cause can heighten awareness of the ways college students can volunteer their time. A movie director might heighten the tension in a scene by using scary music and dramatic lighting. In all of these cases, something is intensified or increased. The oldest, fifteenth-century meaning of heighten, however, was "to exalt, honor, or raise to a high position."
Vocabulary lists containing heighten
And Then There Were None
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Part 3 Vocabulary II (Unit 1)
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"Watching New Love as It Sears the Brain," Vocabulary from the article
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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:
A dry winter will make the current drought worse and heighten government concerns.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Exports surged 23.9% in the 12 months from July 2025, but that will only heighten concerns about “China Shock 2.0” that have economies all over the world contemplating draconian restrictions on Chinese trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Anthropic urged Congress to penalise the companies behind the alleged attacks and heighten measures to prevent US technology from being stolen.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Changes in the type of investor buying government bonds may heighten price volatility, the ECB said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
That the absence of children, all children, would heighten the adults’ remorse.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
The latest threat heightens the risk the neighboring countries could descend into all-out economic conflict and casts further doubt over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
Feeding wild birds heightens the risk of disease transmission at feeding locations.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 24, 2026
"People are realising constant swiping isn't actually leading to real-world dates, which only heightens dating fatigue," said Ryan.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Coverage of the 1986 World Series doesn’t mention Boston’s 68-year stretch without a title, which heightens the devastation of their Game 6 loss to the New York Mets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
These are the charms which ne’er decay, Tho’ youth and beauty fade away; And time, which all things else removes, Still heightens virtue and improves.
From Moores Fables for the Female Sex by Edward Caldwell Moore
In August, the US Congressional Research Service said Russia's intelligence agencies had demonstrated "flexibility in conducting these attacks and adapting to European responses" including heightened intelligence scrutiny.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
The comments heightened expectations for rate hikes in the U.S., leading to a rise in Treasury yields and the dollar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
The scandal surrounding the prosecution was heightened by his father’s attempt to stop his relatives from cooperating with authorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The National Fire Chiefs Council said the alert heightened people's awareness and public behaviour, while government insiders point out wildfire alerts are commonplace in many European countries.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Under the moon’s besotted gaze, she ran deep into the jungle, her body strong, her every sense heightened.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
And I’m sure the threat of being sued by your current employer is just heightening any anxiety you already have around the job-hunting process.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The outbreak is still not under control and is taking place in a conflict zone with very mobile populations – heightening the need for a vaccine to help stop the spread of disease.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
But the Middle East conflict has strained shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for supplies, heightening unease among farmers ahead of the July-October sowing period.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Support collapsed after a partial core meltdown in 1979 at the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania led to several days of panic, heightening awareness of potential safety risks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
