christen

verb

chris·​ten ˈkri-sᵊn 

christened; christening ˈkri-sə-niŋ 

ˈkris-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.

Synonyms of christen

• name
• call
• dub
• nominate
• designate
• label
• title
• term
• denominate
• entitle
• baptize

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

This spring, a second ship, AmaMelodia, is formally christened, doubling capacity on a route between Cartagena and Barranquilla through jazz towns, a UNESCO World Heritage city, and some of the richest bird-watching corridors on the continent. — Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

The series has been christened ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’, and if that sounds like the sort of thing which could be turned into a Netflix mini-series, that is no coincidence. — Daniel Gallan, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

There has long been debate over who first christened the bright stellar trio of Vega, Deneb, and Altair as the Summer Triangle. — Joe Rao, Space.com, 10 Sep. 2026

The furniture and home decor brand is set to host a cocktail event on Wednesday to christen the 3,200-square-foot boutique in the heart of the French capital’s Golden Triangle, which quietly opened in May. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2026

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

Rhymes for christen

• bisson
• frisson
• glisten
• listen
• nissen
• hemolysin
• rifampicin

Kids Definition

christen

verb

chris·​ten ˈkris-ᵊn 

christened; christening ˈkris-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: baptize sense 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