fatten

1 of 2

verb

fat·​ten ˈfa-tᵊn 

fattened; fattening fa-tə-niŋ 

ˈfat-niŋˈ

transitive verb

1

a

: to make fat, fleshy, or plump

especially : to feed (an animal) for slaughter

b

: to make more substantial

2

: to make fertile

intransitive verb

: to become fat

fattener

ˈfa-tə-nər 

ˈfat-nər

noun

fattener

2 of 2

noun

fat·​ten·​er -t(ᵊ)nə(r) 

plural -s

1

: one that fattens

selling young goslings to fatteners

2

: stock to be fattened for slaughter

some of the pigs were singled out as breeders and the rest left as fatteners

Examples of fatten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Cattle that might have come to the US and fattened on American corn to be turned into steaks are now fed, slaughtered and packed entirely in Mexico – then sent to the US as boxed beef. — Max Saltman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026

Those that survived are doing well, fattening up in time not just for fall and hibernation season but … drumroll, please … the very first Fat Marmot Week. — Brittany Peterson, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Federal Reserve interest rate policy may be up in the air, but some banks are fattening up the yields offered on certificates of deposit, sending them above 4%. — Darla Mercado, Cfp®, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2026

But Commure isn’t just promising to fatten doctors’ wallets with money from insurers. — Casey Ross, STAT, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1552, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for fatten

• batten
• craton
• flatten
• gratin
• gratton
• latin
• lattin
• matin
• paten
• patten
• platen
• ratan

Kids Definition

fatten

verb

fat·​ten ˈfat-ᵊn 

fattened; fattening ˈfat-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

: to make or become fat

fattener

-(ə-)nər 

noun