livened; livening
ˈlī-və-niŋ 
ˈlīv-niŋ
: enliven
—often used with up
he … livened up the editorial page—
Current Biography
Current Biography
: to become lively
Examples of liven in a Sentence
He played some music to liven the atmosphere.
Recent Examples on the Web
Eli teamed up with the dinner roll brand to launch Football Season-ing, a blend to liven up sliders, dips, pasta salads and other staples.
—Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
This last option is highly recommended for lemon lovers (which includes a lot of us); there are even a few lemon segments to liven this dish up.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But adding a handful here and there will liven up your recipes in the most amazing way.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Some of the bathrooms and bedrooms hadn’t been renovated since the home was first built, and Saba — who has a background in fashion design — had some ideas on how to liven up the interior.
—Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
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Erin Clements, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
This last option is highly recommended for lemon lovers (which includes a lot of us); there are even a few lemon segments to liven this dish up.
—Tom Hyland, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
But adding a handful here and there will liven up your recipes in the most amazing way.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025
Some of the bathrooms and bedrooms hadn’t been renovated since the home was first built, and Saba — who has a background in fashion design — had some ideas on how to liven up the interior.
—Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liven
Cite this Entry
“Liven.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liven. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liven
verb
liv·en
ˈlī-vən
livened; livening
ˈlīv-(ə-)niŋ
: to make or become lively
—often used with up
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