christen

verb

chris·​ten ˈkri-sᵊn How to pronounce christen (audio)
christened; christening ˈkris-niŋ How to pronounce christen (audio)
ˈkri-sə-niŋ

transitive verb

1
a
: baptize sense 1
was christened when he was three months old
b
: to name at baptism
They christened the baby Anne.
2
: to name or dedicate (something, such as a ship) by a ceremony that often involves breaking a bottle of champagne
3
: name sense 1
The newspaper christened her as the reigning Queen of Tennis.
4
: to use for the first time
They christened the new ballpark with a win.

Examples of christen in a Sentence

He was christened when he was three months old. They christened the baby Anna. The politician was chosen to christen a new ship. The newspaper has christened her as the reigning Queen of Tennis. They christened the new ball park with a win.
Recent Examples on the Web San Diego State christened downtown ballpark 20 years ago with 4-0 victory over Houston before crowd of 40,106, which remains record for college game Facebook The Padres regularly feature trivia questions on TV broadcasts as well as the ballpark video board at home games. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 Within the Four Seasons residential community and part of the Four Seasons rental pool, a sprawling six-bedroom residence christened Casa Las Olas is the veritable crown jewel of Peninsula Papagayo’s. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 28 Feb. 2024 Led by Villeneuve’s wife, producer Tanya Lapointe, they were quickly christened the Worm Unit. EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024 Five generations of Campbell’s relatives were christened at the church. Kaitlyn Schwanemann, CNN, 7 Feb. 2024 Our eldest, Mathilda, was christened near Athens, and the [twins] were christened in my mother-in-law's little village. Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Feb. 2024 Here's an early look at Messi before Monday's match: Inter Miami preview Messi stopped his car in the middle of Miami traffic to sign a fan's Argentina jersey and then christened a new Royal Caribbean cruise ship. Safid Deen, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2024 Singer Kesha christened that venue, originally known as PromoWest Pavilion at Ovation and now known as MegaCorp Pavilion, a month later in August 2021. Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 Aptly christened the Arc Sport, the new 23-footer is the sportier and speedier successor to the Arc One model that was unveiled in 2021. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'christen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cristnen, from Old English cristnian, from cristen Christian, from Latin christianus

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of christen was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near christen

Cite this Entry

“Christen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/christen. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

christen

verb
chris·​ten ˈkris-ᵊn How to pronounce christen (audio)
christened; christening ˈkris-niŋ How to pronounce christen (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
2
a
: to name at baptism
christened the baby Robin
b
: to name or dedicate in a ceremony like that of baptism
christen a ship

More from Merriam-Webster on christen

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