thicken
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to make or become thick or thicker.
-
to make or grow more intense, profound, intricate, or complex.
The plot thickens.
verb
-
to make or become thick or thicker
thicken the soup by adding flour
-
(intr) to become more involved
the plot thickened
Other Word Forms
- rethicken verb
- thickener noun
- unthicken verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of thicken
1375–1425; late Middle English thiknen < Old Norse thykkna. See thick, -en 1
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.
While X-rays are sometimes necessary, the vet says, the signs of osteoarthritis - the thickening of joints, for instance - could be obvious to an experienced vet, who might prefer to prescribe a less expensive anti-inflammatory treatment.
From BBC
I’m thinking about this as I start using wet paper towels to clean the thickening ketchup out of my hair.
From Literature
As Mr. Carlsson thickens the atmosphere, he keeps our attention fixed on crimes that are distant in time yet critically linked.
These included a mastectomy and lymph node procedure performed in 28 minutes, and an excision of benign thickened breast tissue in 10 minutes, "which the review team considered to have been unnecessary".
From BBC
Weeks later the chest still pounds, the throat still thickens, the mind still has not completely grasped.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
