quicken

[ kwik-uhn ]
See synonyms for: quickenquickenedquickening on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to make more rapid; accelerate; hasten: She quickened her pace.

  2. to give or restore vigor or activity to; stir up, rouse, or stimulate: to quicken the imagination.

  1. to revive; restore life to: The spring rains quickened the earth.

verb (used without object)
  1. to become more active, sensitive, etc.: This drug causes the pulse to quicken.

  2. to become alive; receive life.

  1. (of the mother) to enter that stage of pregnancy in which the fetus gives indications of life.

  2. (of a fetus in the womb) to begin to manifest signs of life.

Origin of quicken

1
First recorded in 1250–1300, quicken is from the Middle English word quikenen.See quick, -en1

Other words for quicken

Other words from quicken

  • quick·en·er, noun
  • re·quick·en, verb
  • un·quick·ened, adjective

Words Nearby quicken

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use quicken in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quicken

quicken

/ (ˈkwɪkən) /


verb
  1. to make or become faster; accelerate: he quickened his walk; her heartbeat quickened with excitement

  2. to impart to or receive vigour, enthusiasm, etc; stimulate or be stimulated: science quickens man's imagination

  1. to make or become alive; revive

    • (of an unborn fetus) to begin to show signs of life

    • (of a pregnant woman) to reach the stage of pregnancy at which movements of the fetus can be felt

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012