ripen

[ rahy-puh n ]

/ ˈraɪ pən /

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become ripe.

to bring or come to maturity, the proper condition, etc.; mature.

Nearby words

riparian rights, ripcord, ripe, ripe old age, ripe rot, ripen, ripidolite, ripieno, ripken, ripley, ripley, george

Origin of ripen

First recorded in 1555–65; ripe + -en¹

Related forms

rip·en·er, nounhalf-rip·ened, adjectiveo·ver·rip·en, verbun·der·rip·ened, adjective

un·rip·ened, adjectiveun·rip·en·ing, adjectivewell-rip·ened, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for ripening

This is a very juicy, clingstone peach, having a delicious, aromatic flavor and ripening early in September.
The Peaches of New York|U. P. Hedrick
And yet the ripening process is sometimes so slow that the frost of fear or the rot of regret spoils the fruit.
Analyzing Character|Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb
The flowers bloomed as gayly as before, and the fields were thick with ripening grain.
Stories from Northern Myths|Emilie Kip Baker
They are eager to see the blade, and delighted to mark the ripening ear.
Talks To Farmers|Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The pods turn purple when ripening but afterwards change to russet-brown.
American Forest Trees|Henry H. Gibson

British Dictionary definitions for ripening

ripen

/ (ˈraɪpən) /

verb

to make or become ripe

Derived Formsripener, 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

ripen

verb (used with or without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ripen

Examples from the Web for ripening

British Dictionary definitions for ripening

ripen

verb