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:
As people get older, those connections can weaken, contributing to slower thinking and declines in memory.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Trade winds that typically blow from east to west across the Pacific Ocean can weaken or even reverse, allowing warm water to spread eastwards.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Therefore, while Jauregui “would remain bullish on the structural AI story,” he said he would be cautious about short-term risks if expectations weaken.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
“What we have seen so far is increasingly interpreted through the lens of ‘salami-slicing’ tactics—limited, incremental escalation designed to weaken capabilities before a larger confrontation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The reparations were intended to weaken Germany so that it would never take up arms again.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
"The worst combination for the Fed is if inflation remains sticky while the labor market weakens," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
If the hyperscalers’ spending slows because financing costs rise or free cash flow weakens, semiconductor demand could eventually feel the effects.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
That confidence weakens toward the end of the 21st century, when physical processes capable of rapidly increasing ice loss become more likely.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
A similar dynamic is likely to play out if the AI boom weakens.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The root system of the entire field weakens.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
The researchers say the findings could now support dietary intervention studies involving people with obesity, chronic infections, and other conditions associated with weakened immune function.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
But as bond yields climbed and the U.S. dollar weakened, prices of bitcoin and gold shot higher.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
—The dollar weakened against a basket of currencies amid uncertainty about whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates despite a solid U.S. economic backdrop.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The dividend suspension and greater need for earnings recovery in 2H has weakened its near-term investment case, the analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
There was the tang of salt, of sun, of weakened brine, and grit dissolved in the breakers.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
“Given the combination of elevated investments and weakening advertising revenues, we project operating profit margin to moderate further to 9% in the third quarter from 15% in the second quarter,” they note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"All three are weakening as the international environment changes," she said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Howell’s chart shows how global liquidity is on a weakening trend and he forecasts that interest rates will rise, it’s simply a question of when.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Higher interest rates are coming, global liquidity has peaked and is now weakening.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
There the root borer is a serious pest of the banana, so weakening its roots that the trees are easily toppled by wind.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
