whiten

[ hwahyt-n, wahyt-n ]

/ ˈʰwaɪt n, ˈwaɪt n /

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verb (used with or without object)

to make or become white.

Nearby words

whiteley, whiteline, whitelist, whitely, whiteman, whiten, whitener, whiteness, whitening, whiteout, whiteprint

Origin of whiten

1250–1300; Middle English whitenen; see white, -en¹

SYNONYMS FOR whiten

Whiten, blanch, bleach mean to make or become white. To whiten implies giving a white color or appearance by putting a substance of some kind on the outside: to whiten shoes. To blanch implies taking away natural or original color throughout: to blanch celery by growing it in the dark. To bleach implies making white by placing in (sun) light or by using chemicals: to bleach linen, hair.

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ANTONYMS FOR whiten

blacken.

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Related forms

un·whit·ened, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for whiten

It's 'supposed' to whiten your teeth and pull the toxins out of your body.
We Were Gwyneth’s GOOP Guinea Pigs|Erin Cunningham, Olivia Nuzzi|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Red hair must whiten—quickly, one could hope, without streaks.
The Trial of Callista Blake|Edgar Pangborn
He thereupon swallows chalk to improve his voice and compels the miller to whiten his paws.
The Moral Instruction of Children|Felix Adler
A few drops of it will clean and whiten laces, also muslins.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia|Marion Cabell Tyree

Up to his fifty-third year he had never known a sick day, although at thirty his hair had begun to whiten.
Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great, Vol. 1 of 14|Elbert Hubbard
I am aware that in recent books of Italian history there has been a tendency to whiten the Borgias' characters.
And Even Now|Max Beerbohm

British Dictionary definitions for whiten

whiten

/ (ˈwaɪtən) /

verb

to make or become white or whiter; bleach

Derived Forms

whitening, 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