Wiktionary

deepen

English

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Etymology

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Etymology tree
English deep
English -en
English deepen

    From deep + -en.

    Pronunciation

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    Verb

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    deepen (third-person singular simple present deepens, present participle deepening, simple past and past participle deepened)

    1. (transitive) To make deep or deeper
      They deepened the well by 200 feet.
    2. (transitive) To make darker or more intense; to darken
      The event deepened the prevailing gloom.
    3. (transitive) To make more poignant or affecting; to increase in degree
      News of her death deepened my sorrow.
    4. (transitive) To make lower in tone
      The tuner deepened the tone of the organ.
    5. (transitive) To make more thorough or extensive.
      The class deepened my understanding of the subject.
    6. (transitive) To make more intimate.
      The shared experiences deepened our relationship.
    7. (transitive) To make more sound or heavy.
      The hypnotist then proceeded to deepen his trance.
    8. (intransitive) To become deeper
      The water deepens as you go toward the middle of the channel.
    9. (intransitive) To become darker or more intense
      The crisis deepened in the following weeks.
      • 1953 April, Henry Maxwell, “Abandoned Railway Stations”, in Railway Magazine, page 270:
        We may be pardoned our nostalgia, those of us who can remember the old days, the days before the grouping and before standardisation, when we see, as today we see so often, the derelict and abandoned buildings of what were once railway stations, for the life which they used to enjoy we lived with them. There they stand, today, as the dusk deepens about them, lampless, cold and deserted.
    10. (intransitive) To become lower in tone
      His voice deepened with age.
    11. (intransitive) To become more thorough or extensive.
      His skill in deciphering the texts deepened with practice.
    12. (intransitive) To become more intimate.
      The conversation deepened and they began to truly share.
      • 2001, Susan Stryker, Queer Pulp, page 104:
        He's in the process of breaking up with one boyfriend, who refuses to let their relationship deepen, and courting another, who promises to be somebody with whom he could grow old.
    13. (intransitive) To become more sound or heavy.
      The new bed allowed my sleep to deepen.

    Synonyms

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    Derived terms

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    Translations

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    Anagrams

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