verb
Meaning 1
To make deep or deeper
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- They deepened the well by 200 feet.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
deepen
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/ˈdiːpən/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -iːpən
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CMU ARPABET: D IY1 P AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
verb
Meaning 2
To make darker or more intense; to darken
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The event deepened the prevailing gloom.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 3
To make more poignant or affecting; to increase in degree
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- News of her death deepened my sorrow.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 4
To make lower in tone
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The tuner deepened the tone of the organ.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 5
To make more thorough or extensive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The class deepened my understanding of the subject.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To make more intimate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The shared experiences deepened our relationship.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To make more sound or heavy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The hypnotist then proceeded to deepen his trance.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To become deeper
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The water deepens as you go toward the middle of the channel.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To become darker or more intense
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The crisis deepened in the following weeks.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To become lower in tone
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- His voice deepened with age.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To become more thorough or extensive.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- His skill in deciphering the texts deepened with practice.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To become more intimate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The conversation deepened and they began to truly share.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To become more sound or heavy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The new bed allowed my sleep to deepen.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
become more intense
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The debate intensified
- His dislike for raw fish only deepened in Japan
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: intensify
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: increase
Narrower terms: build, redouble, erupt, irrupt, flare up, flare, break open, burst out, condense, sharpen, accelerate, speed up, speed, quicken
verb
Meaning 15
make more intense, stronger, or more marked,
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The efforts were intensified
- Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her
- Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness
- This event only deepened my convictions
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: intensify, compound, heighten
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: increase
Narrower terms: heat up, hot up, screw up, fan, enhance, heighten, raise, amplify, sharpen
verb
Meaning 16
become deeper in tone
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- His voice began to change when he was 12 years old
- Her voice deepened when she whispered the password
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: change
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: change
verb
Meaning 17
make deeper
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- They deepened the lake so that bigger pleasure boats could use it
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: enlarge
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dhewbh-der. Proto-Indo-European *dhewbhnós Proto-Germanic *deupaz Proto-West Germanic *deup Old English dēop Middle English dep English deep English -en English deepen From deep + -en.
Across languages
Translations
88 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Arabic: تَعَمَّقَ (taʕammaqa) — to make deep or deeper
- Bulgarian: задълбочавам (zadǎlbočavam) — to make deep or deeper
- Bulgarian: удълбочавам (udǎlbočavam) — to make deep or deeper
- Catalan: profunditzar — to make deep or deeper
- Catalan: apregonar — to make deep or deeper
- Catalan: enfondir — to make deep or deeper
- Chinese Mandarin: 加深 (jiāshēn) — to make deep or deeper
- Czech: prohlubovat — to make deep or deeper
- Czech: prohloubit — to make deep or deeper
- Dutch: verdiepen — to make deep or deeper
- Esperanto: profundigi — to make deep or deeper
- Finnish: syventää — to make deep or deeper
- French: approfondir — to make deep or deeper
- Galician: afondar — to make deep or deeper
- German: aushölen — to make deep or deeper
- German: vertiefen — to make deep or deeper
- Ancient Greek: βαθύνω (bathúnō) — to make deep or deeper
- Hungarian: mélyít — to make deep or deeper
- Indonesian: memperdalam — to make deep or deeper
- Italian: approfondire — to make deep or deeper
- Japanese: 深める (fukameru) — to make deep or deeper
- Korean: 깊게 하다 (gipge hada) — to make deep or deeper
- Polish: pogłębiać — to make deep or deeper
- Polish: pogłębić — to make deep or deeper
- Portuguese: aprofundar — to make deep or deeper
- Russian: углубля́ть (uglubljátʹ) — to make deep or deeper
- Russian: углуби́ть (uglubítʹ) — to make deep or deeper
- Spanish: ahondar — to make deep or deeper
- Ukrainian: погли́блювати (pohlýbljuvaty) — to make deep or deeper
- Ukrainian: погли́бити (pohlýbyty) — to make deep or deeper
- Bulgarian: усилвам (usilvam) — to make darker or more intense
- Finnish: syventää — to make darker or more intense
- Finnish: tummentaa — to make darker or more intense
- French: intensifier — to make darker or more intense
- German: zunehmen — to make darker or more intense
- Hungarian: mélyít — to make darker or more intense
- Italian: intensificare — to make darker or more intense
- Russian: уси́ливать (usílivatʹ) — to make darker or more intense
- Russian: уси́лить (usílitʹ) — to make darker or more intense
- Finnish: syventää — to make more poignant
- Finnish: voimistaa — to make more poignant
- Finnish: vahvistaa — to make more poignant
- French: intensifier — to make more poignant
- German: vergrößern — to make more poignant
- Russian: усугубля́ть (usugubljátʹ) — to make more poignant
- Russian: усугуби́ть (usugubítʹ) — to make more poignant
- Spanish: ahondar — to make more poignant
- Finnish: syventää — to make lower in tone
- Finnish: madaltaa — to make lower in tone
- German: vergrößern — to make lower in tone
- Russian: понижа́ть (ponižátʹ) — to make lower in tone
- Russian: пони́зить (ponízitʹ) — to make lower in tone
- Czech: prohlubovat — to make more thorough or extensive
- Czech: prohloubit — to make more thorough or extensive
- Finnish: syventää — to make more thorough or extensive
- Czech: prohlubovat — to make more intimate
- Czech: prohloubit — to make more intimate
- Finnish: syventää — to make more intimate
- Finnish: syventää — to make more sound or heavy
- Bulgarian: задълбочавам се (zadǎlbočavam se) — to become deeper
- Catalan: profunditzar-se — to become deeper
- Chinese Mandarin: 深化 (shēnhuà) — to become deeper
- Czech: prohlubovat se — to become deeper
- Czech: prohloubit se — to become deeper
- Finnish: syvetä — to become deeper
- French: devenir plus profond — to become deeper
- German: vertiefen — to become deeper
- Japanese: 深まる (fukamaru) — to become deeper
- Korean: 깊어지다 (gipeojida) — to become deeper
- Russian: углубля́ться (uglubljátʹsja) — to become deeper
- Russian: углуби́ться (uglubítʹsja) — to become deeper
- Ottoman Turkish: دریكلنمك (deriñlenmek) — to become deeper
- Finnish: syvetä — to become darker or more intense
- Finnish: voimistua — to become darker or more intense
- Finnish: vahvistua — to become darker or more intense
- Finnish: pahentua — to become darker or more intense
- Russian: уси́ливаться (usílivatʹsja) — to become darker or more intense
- Russian: уси́литься (usílitʹsja) — to become darker or more intense
- Finnish: syvetä — to become lower in tone
- Finnish: madaltua — to become lower in tone
- Czech: prohlubovat se — to become more thorough or extensive
- Czech: prohloubit se — to become more thorough or extensive
- Finnish: syvetä — to become more thorough or extensive
- Finnish: parantua — to become more thorough or extensive
- Czech: prohlubovat se — to become more intimate
- Czech: prohloubit se — to become more intimate
- Finnish: syvetä — to become more intimate
- Finnish: syvetä — to become more sound or heavy