Meaning

(intransitive) to grow ripe; to become mature (said of grain, fruit, flowers etc.).

Definitions by Sense

1. (intransitive) to grow ripe; to become mature (said of grain, fruit, flowers etc.)
2. (intransitive) To approach or come to perfection.
3. (transitive) To cause (something) to mature; to make ripe
4. (transitive) To mature; to fit or prepare; to bring to perfection

Example Sentences

Grapes ripen in the sun.

[…] the desert soil of the Great Basin is as rich in the elements that in rainy regions rise and ripen into food as that of any other State in the Union.

The acquaintance soon ripened into a warm attachment.

The warm sun ripened the corn.

ripen the judgment

When Faith and Love which parted from thee never Had ripen'd thy just soul to dwell with God

But the decline of Rome was the natural and inevitable effect of immoderate greatneſs. Proſperity ripened the principle of decay; the cauſes of deſtruction multiplied with the extent of conqueſt; and as ſoon as time or accident had removed the artificial ſupports, the ſtupendous fabric yielded to the preſſure of its own weight. The ſtory of its ruin is ſimple and obvious; and instead of enquiring why the Roman empire was deſtroyed, we ſhould rather be ſurprised that it had ſubſiſted ſo long.

Word Forms

• ripens
• ripening
• ripened

Related Words

When Should You Use Ripen?

Use ripen when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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