fatten

verb

fat·​ten ˈfa-tᵊn How to pronounce fatten (audio)
fattened; fattening fa-tə-niŋ How to pronounce fatten (audio)
ˈfat-niŋˈ
Synonyms of fattennext

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 How to pronounce fatten (audio)
ˈfat-nər
noun

Examples of fatten in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Congress slashes taxes, writes stimulus checks, and fattens unemployment-insurance payouts. Annie Lowrey, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2026 Now, those animals can cost as much as $1,500 as buyers hoover up calves to fatten them for slaughter. Bloomberg Wire, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026 The treat, pronounced punch-key in plural or pon-check in singular, has its origins in Polish Catholic traditions of eating up fattening foods before their religious fasting and penitential season of Lent began. Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026 Now, those animals can cost as much as $1,500 as buyers hoover up calves to fatten them for slaughter. Enda Curran, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for fatten

Word History

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatten was circa 1552

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Cite this Entry

“Fatten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatten. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

fatten

verb
fat·​ten ˈfat-ᵊn How to pronounce fatten (audio)
fattened; fattening ˈfat-niŋ How to pronounce fatten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to make or become fat
fattener noun

More from Merriam-Webster on fatten

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