ripen
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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ripens,
present (3rd person singular)
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ripened,
past participle, past
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ripening
present participle
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to make or become ripe.
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to bring or come to maturity, the proper condition, etc.; mature.
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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ripenernoun
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overripenverb
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half-ripenedadjective
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underripenedadjective
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unripenedadjective
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unripeningadjective
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well-ripenedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ripensimple
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ripenssimple
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have ripenedperfect
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has ripenedperfect
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am ripeningprogressive
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are ripeningprogressive
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is ripeningprogressive
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have been ripeningperfect progressive
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has been ripeningperfect progressive
Past
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ripenedsimple
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had ripenedperfect
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was ripeningprogressive
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were ripeningprogressive
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had been ripeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ripen
Explanation
When fruit becomes ripe and ready to eat, it ripens. Tomatoes will ripen after you pick them, becoming darker red and more juicy. You can use ripen to talk about the maturing process of all fruits, and some vegetables — apples, peppers, and corn all need to ripen before they're at the perfect, delicious state for being eaten. Figuratively, you can also talk about people this way: "She is really starting to ripen as an actor!" Before ripen was coined around 1560, the verb was ripe, as in, "When the avocados ripe, I'll make guacamole."
Vocabulary lists containing ripen
Vocabulary from Readings 4, Unit 1
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"In Response to Executive Order 9066"
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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:
Lamont’s recommendation therefore, is to exercise patience.”IPOs are like bananas: they need to ripen before they’re ready to eat.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Under the law, claims can go to federal court if a government agency denies them or doesn’t make a decision within six months, meaning the ones McCloskey dropped off could soon ripen for litigation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
But once harvested, mangoes continue to ripen quickly, making them highly vulnerable to softening, moisture loss, and spoilage during storage and transport.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
And like every such show, it can be expected to ripen with age, if age comes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025
“They will ripen in a few days. Take them home with you. So you won’t forget us.”
From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar
It ripens into criminality with the “Moorish” mystifications of the ex-con Malachi Z. York.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“The Gilded Age” has always plied high-toned melodrama as its chief asset, but Season 3 ripens the starched formality of previous episodes into succulence.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2025
For most Scandinavian vineyards, solaris is the grape of choice - an aromatic, hybrid variety that's well-adapted to colder climes, ripens easily, and is more disease resistant, allowing vineyards to avoid spraying pesticides.
From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2024
There is a sense of stasis to the aptly named two-hander, which never ripens from a situation into a story.
From New York Times ● Apr. 20, 2024
Love that sets forth the soul like springtime and ripens it like summer.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Maintaining storage temperatures near 12°C may allow mangoes to be harvested earlier, transported over longer distances, and ripened closer to their final markets while minimizing spoilage and quality loss.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
At 72, Uncle Thing wakes up at dawn every day and weaves around his hilly farm to collect ripened durians, either dangling from trees or nestling on nets close to the ground.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
Once they have ripened adequately, you can store them in the refrigerator for another week, but always serve them at room temperature.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
“The way the fruit ripened, I was thankful. But it was just too much,” Cirone said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
His uncle was always having to sell his grain before it was even well ripened.
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
Quips fell out of her like apples from a tree, ripening and landing at just the right time in any conversation.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
A survey of the Young British Artist spotlights the intimacy and boldness that have characterized her vision, as well as the ripening wisdom of her latest work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
While convenient, these warmer conditions speed up respiration and ripening, causing fruit to soften and deteriorate more rapidly.
From Science Daily ● May 23, 2026
She shows me ripening limes and lemons inside her allotment greenhouse.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2025
I want to plant it beside my papaya tree, where vines can climb and shade ripening fruit.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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.
