Adjacent Words

Thicken definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

THICKEN, v.t. thik'n. To make thick or dense.
1. To make close; to fill up interstices; as, to thicken cloth.
2. To make concrete; to inspissate; as, to thicken paint, mortar or a liquid.
3. To strengthen; to confirm.
And this may help to thicken other proofs. [Not used.]
4. To make frequent, or more frequent; as, to thicken blows.
5. To make close, or more close; to make more numerous; as, to thicken the ranks.
THICKEN, v.i. thik'n. To become thick or more thick; to become dense; as, the fog thickens.
1. To become dark or obscure.
Thy luster thickens
When he shines by.
2. To concrete; to be consolidated; as, the juices of plants thicken into wood.
3. To be inspissated; as, vegetable juices thicken, as the more volatile parts are evaporated.
4. To become close, or more close or numerous.
The press of people thickens to the court.
5. To become quick and animated.
The combat thickens.
6. To become more numerous; to press; to be crowded. Proofs of the fact thicken upon us at every step.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: make thick or thicker; "Thicken the sauce"; "inspissate the tar so that it becomes pitch" [syn: thicken, inspissate] [ant: thin]
2: become thick or thicker; "The sauce thickened"; "The egg yolk will inspissate" [syn: thicken, inspissate] [ant: thin]
3: make viscous or dense; "thicken the sauce by adding flour" [syn: thicken, inspissate]

Merriam Webster's

verb (thickened; thickening) Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. a. to become dense <the mist thickened> b. to become concentrated in numbers, mass, or frequency 2. to grow blurred or obscure 3. to grow broader or bulkier 4. to grow complicated or keen <the plot thickens> transitive verb 1. a. to make thick, dense, or viscous in consistency <thicken gravy with flour> b. to make close or compact 2. to increase the depth or diameter of 3. to make inarticulate ; blur <alcohol thickened his speech> • thickener noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 tr. & intr. make or become thick or thicker. 2 intr. become more complicated (the plot thickens). Derivatives: thickener n.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thicken Thick"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thickened; p. pr. & vb. n. Thickening.] To make thick (in any sense of the word). Specifically: (a) To render dense; to inspissate; as, to thicken paint. (b) To make close; to fill up interstices in; as, to thicken cloth; to thicken ranks of trees or men. (c) To strengthen; to confirm. [Obs.] And this may to thicken other proofs. --Shak. (d) To make more frequent; as, to thicken blows.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Thicken Thick"en, v. i. To become thick. ``Thy luster thickens when he shines by.'' --Shak. The press of people thickens to the court. --Dryden. The combat thickens, like the storm that flies. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(thickens, thickening, thickened) 1. When you thicken a liquid or when it thickens, it becomes stiffer and more solid. Thicken the broth with the cornflour... Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. VERB: V n, V 2. If something thickens, it becomes more closely grouped together or more solid than it was before. The crowds around him began to thicken... VERB: V 3. People sometimes say 'the plot thickens' when a situation or series of events is getting more and more complicated and mysterious. 'Find anything?' he asked. 'Yeah. The plot thickens,' I said. PHRASE: V inflects

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Inspissate, make dense. 2. Make close, make compact. 3. Make frequent. II. v. n. 1. Grow thick, become inspissated. 2. Concrete, become solid, be consolidated, condense, solidify. 3. Become obscure, become dark, become dim. 4. Press, crowd, become close, become compact, increase. 5. Become animated, grow quick, become confused.

Moby Thesaurus

add to, aggrandize, amplify, augment, beat up, boost, broaden, build, build up, cake, candy, churn, clabber, clot, clump, cluster, coagulate, colloid, colloidize, concrete, condense, congeal, cream, crystallize, curd, curdle, emulsify, emulsionize, enlarge, exalt, expand, extend, fatten, fill out, firm up, gel, gelatinate, gelatinize, granulate, grow thick, harden, hike, hike up, incrassate, increase, inflate, inspissate, jack up, jell, jellify, jelly, jump up, knot, lengthen, lopper, lump, maximize, parlay, put up, pyramid, raise, set, solidify, stiffen, take a set, thick, up, whip