darken
Americanverb (used with object)
-
darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
darkens,
present (3rd person singular)
-
darkened,
past participle, past
-
darkening
present participle
-
to become dark or darker.
-
to become obscure.
-
to become less white or clear in color.
-
to grow clouded, as with gloom or anger.
-
to become blind.
idioms
verb
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to make or become dark or darker
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to make or become gloomy, angry, or sad
his mood darkened
-
(usually used with a negative) to visit someone
never darken my door again!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
darkensimple
-
darkenssimple
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have darkenedperfect
-
has darkenedperfect
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am darkeningprogressive
-
are darkeningprogressive
-
is darkeningprogressive
-
have been darkeningperfect progressive
-
has been darkeningperfect progressive
Past
-
darkenedsimple
-
had darkenedperfect
-
was darkeningprogressive
-
were darkeningprogressive
-
had been darkeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of darken
First recorded in 1250–1300, darken is from the Middle English word derknen. See dark, -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.
See Examples For:
Scattered through old Southern community and church cookbooks are recipes for spiced Saltines: butter-soaked, herb-flecked, oven-baked until they darken to a toastier shade of gold.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
Gray clouds darken the sky, but Leutze bathes Washington in light, depicting him as an unflinching leader of a squad of men that purposely includes a Native American and a black man.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
"Think of photochromic sunglasses. When you're inside, they're just clear lenses. You walk out into the sun, and they darken on their own. Come back inside, and the lenses become clear again," Nguyen continued.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
Both light sources darken skin through the same biological process: UV rays change the structure and chemical profile of DNA in the skin, which then produces more melanin in order to prevent further damage.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
The sun started to darken, like the moon was passing in front of it.
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
Include them and Americans’ average level of preparation for retirement darkens considerably.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The expansion of plant life darkens the snow and ice, reducing its reflectivity and causing the surrounding area to warm up, triggering ice and snow melt.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
At some point, the room darkens, and the crowd watches the jacket glow — she becomes a bioluminescent creature in human form.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Slowly, the surface darkens into something deeply golden, edged in amber, the fat rendering and crisping, the spice blooming in the oil.
From Salon ● Apr. 10, 2026
My vision of this glorious day off darkens a little.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
He stumbled out of bed in his underwear and down the hall to his darkened living room.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even so, parts of northern Sputnik Planitia have been darkened in patterns that resemble features seen on terrestrial glaciers after they are exposed to rainwater or to liquid emerging from beneath the ice.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026
The line in the tree trunk, the darkened ring, will never go away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Armed with flashlights, dozens of community members stepped into the darkened Westlake Theatre, sidestepping puddles and broken glass as they imagined what the century-old movie palace could become.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Once Booth crossed the river into Maryland, he rode through a darkened and quiet countryside.
From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson
When he first noticed the sky darkening, Chapman thought a storm was coming.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The specific phenomenon of darkening water, called “freshwater browning,” is driven by a few factors.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 21, 2026
Reduce the heat to low if the spices are darkening in color too quickly.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Abroad, though, interest rates and inflation risks have shot up, fuel is being conserved, and economic forecasts are darkening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026
Lupita glanced at Salvador, wondering what he thought of Aunt Consuelo’s story, but he was looking out the window at the darkening sky.
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
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.
