ripen

[ rahy-puhn ]

/ ˈraɪ pən /

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See synonyms for: ripen / ripened / ripening on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become ripe.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of ripen

First recorded in 1555–65; ripe + -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM ripen

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ripen in a sentence

The ideal tomme-ripening cave sat below the house that her family had just sold.
When specialty cheesemaking becomes a quarantine pastime|By Kat Craddock/Saveur|December 1, 2020|Popular-Science
The 2017 growing season was exceptional, being a warm year with a good amount of rainfall to fully ripen the fruit and maintain a nice acidity.
The best wines for Thanksgiving|Rachel King|November 21, 2020|Fortune
If you decide to include the pears to serve as a dessert later, look for ones that are just ripening — not hard and woody, not soft.
This cocktail can keep you warm around the fire pit — and you can make it there, too|M. Carrie Allan|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
This was the third hot, dry vintage in a row, explains Master of Wine Jasper Morris, author of Inside Burgundy, who describes a July with brutal heat waves that pushed ripening.
Wildfires, trade wars, COVID-19: The 2020 global wine harvest may go down as the most challenging yet|Bernhard Warner|September 20, 2020|Fortune

I remember ripening coffee beans hanging down the banks, and masses of wild orchids.
Two Chickens, an Old Guitar, and a Group of Strangers: A Life-Changing Feast in Brazil|Annabel Langbein|November 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The plant is strong and vigorous, ripening in a few weeks, and when properly cultivated (p. 385) attaining a very large size.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Even the first blossoms of your youth paid us all that could be expected from a ripening manhood.
The Works Of John Dryden, Volume 4 (of 18)|John Dryden
Trellises, burdened with ripening grapes, were the boundary line between the garden and the orchard.
Alone|Marion Harland
Under the corners of her eyes above the rounded cheeks a pink stain lay like the first ripening flush on a wild strawberry.
In Search of the Unknown|Robert W. Chambers
Nothing but brabblings, scufflings, objurgations; a great outbreak ripening itself.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Vol. III. (of XXI.)|Thomas Carlyle

British Dictionary definitions for ripen

ripen

/ (ˈraɪpən) /

verb

to make or become ripe

Derived forms of ripen

ripener, 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

Origin of ripen

OTHER WORDS FROM ripen

Words related to ripen

How to use ripen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ripen

Derived forms of ripen