weaken
Americanverb (used with object)
-
weakens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weakened,
past participle, past
-
weakening
present participle
-
- Synonyms:
- invalidate, minimize, impair, reduce, lower, diminish, lessen, deplete, exhaust, sap, undermine, enervate, debilitate, enfeeble
- Antonyms:
- strengthen
-
Phonetics. to change (a speech sound) to an articulation requiring less effort, as from geminate to nongeminate or from stop to fricative.
verb (used without object)
-
weakens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
weakened,
past participle, past
-
weakening
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
weakensimple
-
weakenssimple
-
have weakenedperfect
-
has weakenedperfect
-
am weakeningprogressive
-
are weakeningprogressive
-
is weakeningprogressive
-
have been weakeningperfect progressive
-
has been weakeningperfect progressive
Past
-
weakenedsimple
-
had weakenedperfect
-
was weakeningprogressive
-
were weakeningprogressive
-
had been weakeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of weaken
Explanation
To weaken is to become less powerful or strong. When a storm weakens, the wind dies down and the torrential rain becomes a light drizzle. If you weaken physically, your strength diminishes: "I did great at the start of the obstacle course, but my arms began to weaken toward the end and I couldn't climb that last wall." You can also weaken in resolve or spirit, like when your sister's criticism of your art project weakens your confidence about including it in an exhibition. This verb comes from weak and its Germanic root meaning "yield" or "soft."
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:
For now, the findings provide a promising new explanation for how a protein linked to youth helps maintain the brain's immune defenses, and how restoring it may recover some functions that weaken with age.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
Doing so would weaken the usefulness of both the commentary and the guidelines, and ultimately lead to wildly different sentences for the same crimes all depending on the judge.
From Slate ● Oct. 18, 2026
He tips 3Q earnings to weaken to 500 million ringgit-600 million ringgit from 718 million ringgit in 2Q.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
And if forward earnings estimates weaken instead, these stocks could face further pressure.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 10, 2026
The packers needed to head off trouble by stirring up conflicts among the workers to weaken the union.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
In the Pacific, the weather phenomenon weakens vertical wind shear that allows storm systems there to brew stronger.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
“It weakens the ‘no low-band’ rebuttal management teams have leaned on,” Maral wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
The infection also weakens the immune system, leaving children vulnerable to other infections.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones and increases the risk of fractures, affects millions of people and remains a major challenge for doctors seeking safe treatments that can be used over long periods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 9, 2026
Although mangolomera never weakens, it can be neutralized for short periods of time using the green vines from a sweet potato plant.
From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba
The Chargers’ offense, already weakened by a series of injuries to its offensive line and receiving corps, struggled mightily, recording their second-lowest output of the season at 259 total yards.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026
Importantly, when the analysis additionally accounted for the total amount of red meat consumed, the relationship between Neu5Gc and diabetes weakened and was no longer statistically significant.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
When the freight market weakened in 2023, Uber Freight’s revenue fell by double-digit percentages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
She points out that fund flows toward global developed market tech funds have weakened recently and that earnings upgrades for semiconductor stocks are decelerating.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
His hardships hadn’t weakened him, but he’d been weathered and softened like leather—as if he were becoming a more comfortable version of himself.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Expectations of rising supply and weakening demand continue to weigh on the market, though lower prices could make it more sensitive to supportive news, they add.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
He said he’s seen enough overall deterioration in the market to believe the intermediate-term trend is weakening.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
"At the same time, the current technology tailwind could stop abruptly if expectations about AI-related profits and productivity gains are reassessed, weakening investment and tightening financial conditions."
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
Isaias hit the Florida coast on Saturday as a Category 2 storm, before weakening rapidly over land.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
It was a strange and unsettling sight, like he was standing at the edge of the universe, and for a brief moment he was overcome by vertigo, his knees weakening before he steadied himself.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
