deepen

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English

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Etymology

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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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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Anagrams

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