liven

verb liv·en \ ˈlī-vən \

Updated on: 24 Apr 2018

Definition of liven

livened; livening play \ˈlī-və-niŋ, ˈlīv-niŋ\

transitive verb

: enliven —often used with up

he … livened up the editorial page
—Current Biography

intransitive verb

: to become lively

See liven defined for English-language learners

See liven defined for kids

Examples of liven in a Sentence

He played some music to liven the atmosphere.

Recent Examples of liven from the Web

Fortunately there was lots of chatter about the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation to liven up the call.

— lara o’reilly, WSJ, "CMO Today: 21st Century Fox Rejected Comcast Bid; Client Wins Lift Publicis; Users Question Facebook Advertiser," 19 Apr. 2018
Even when there was an attempt to liven things up, things went awry.

— john petkovic, cleveland.com, "Hello, Cleveland: Terminal Tower observation deck open to public (photos)," 6 Apr. 2018
The crispness of the celery and acid in the dressing liven up the cheesy, saucy pizza below.

— alex delany, Bon Appetit, "This Buffalo Chicken Pizza Recipe Is the Collaboration of the Year," 9 Mar. 2018
Also, a bit of crème fraîche added to a soup or a dessert can really liven things up.

— sara kate gillingham-ryan, House Beautiful, "Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl," 1 June 2010
This year, to liven up the All-Star Game, the NBA decided to have the top-two fan-vote-getters (LeBron and Curry) be captains of the opposing teams and then draft the remaining All-Stars, like kids on a playground.

— will leitch, Daily Intelligencer, "The NBA Has Never Had More Soap Opera and Rivalry – and It’s Fantastic," 4 Apr. 2018
Working from a Christian Hokenson screenplay, Newton livens up a routine apocalyptic adventure with regional flavor and a likable cast of colorful older actors and non-generic youngsters.

— noel murray, latimes.com, "It may not be deep, but 'Attack of the Southern Fried Zombies' is bursting with regional flavor," 22 Mar. 2018
Within commodity culture, ethnicity becomes spice, seasoning that can liven up the dull dish that is mainstream white culture.

— lexi pandell, WIRED, "How RuPaul's Drag Race Fueled Pop Culture’s Dominant Slang Engine," 22 Mar. 2018
The idea: to make their brand look hip to job seekers and generally liven up their image, as well as try to spark enthusiasm and creativity among employees.

— maria lamagna, WSJ, "Offices Get Redesigned for an Instagram World," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'liven.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of liven

circa 1628

in the meaning defined at transitive sense

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LIVEN Defined for English Language Learners

liven

verb

Definition of liven for English Language Learners

: to make (something) more lively, interesting, or exciting
: to become more lively, interesting, or exciting

LIVEN Defined for Kids

liven

verb liv·en \ ˈlī-vən \

Definition of liven for Students

livened; livening

: to make or become lively

Hint: Liven is often used with up. He knows how to liven up a meeting.

Learn More about liven

Spanish Central: Translation of liven Nglish: Translation of liven for Spanish speakers

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liven

Definition of liven

Examples of liven in a Sentence

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First Known Use of liven

LIVEN Defined for English Language Learners

liven

Definition of liven for English Language Learners

LIVEN Defined for Kids

liven

Definition of liven for Students

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LIVEN Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of liven for English Language Learners

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