quicken

play

verb quick·en \ ˈkwi-kən \

Definition of quicken

quickened; quickening play \ˈkwi-kə-niŋ, ˈkwik-niŋ\

transitive verb

1 a :to make alive :revive

b :to cause to be enlivened :stimulate

2 archaic

a :kindle

b :to cause to burn more intensely

3 :to make more rapid :hasten, accelerate

quickened her steps

4 a :to make (a curve) sharper

b :to make (a slope) steeper

intransitive verb

1 :to quicken something

2 :to come to life; especially :to enter into a phase of active growth and development

seeds quickening in the soil

3 :to reach the stage of gestation at which fetal motion is felt

4 :to shine more brightly

watched the dawn quickening in the east

5 :to become more rapid

her pulse quickened at the sight

—

quickener

play \ˈkwi-kə-nər, ˈkwik-nər\ noun

See quicken defined for English-language learners

See quicken defined for kids

Examples of quicken in a Sentence

Stimulants can quicken the heart rate.
His pulse quickened at the thought of seeing her again.
The approach of the deadline quickened our sense of urgency.
The drama quickened when police arrived at the scene.

Recent Examples of quicken from the Web

Tillman: Clearly the current of our discourse in social media has quickened.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "Media Roundtable: Talking Social Media and Interaction in the Age of Trump," 21 Aug. 2017
The video shows 100 minutes of the eclipse compressed into a time lapse to quicken the pace for easier viewing.

— chris ochsner, kansascity, "Did you see it? Watch the solar eclipse again in photos and video," 21 Aug. 2017
The pace quickens, the plot gets rather complicated and everything that can go wrong does.

— eliana dockterman, Time, "The 25 Best Heist Movies," 18 Aug. 2017
While exhaustion is indeed part of it, the worst symptoms are often debilitating: loss of motor functions for periods of time, feeling ill after even mild exercise, drops in blood pressure, and quickening heart rate.

— lily carollo, The Cut, "The Loneliness of Having an Illness Science Doesn’t Understand," 10 Aug. 2017
Jets of compressed air would blast the package in a specific direction to quicken the process.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Amazon's Latest Bonkers Patent Is For Underwater Warehouses," 26 July 2017
So while the mound machismo Beck displayed livened up the game and quickened Hawk Harrelson's pulse, the silliness amounted to nothing but an embarrassing footnote bound to be remembered longer than anyone should.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "John Lackey wasn't trying to hit anything other than the catcher's mitt," 25 July 2017
The sale comes in a time of quickening competition and consolidation in craft beer.

— peter rowe, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "Coronado Brewing acquires Monkey Paw," 18 July 2017
CEO Jim Hackett, speaking to analysts this week, rolled out the shot-clock idea—borrowing from a rule employed in basketball to quicken the pace of the game—as part of his agenda for the first 100 days in his new job.

— christina rogers, WSJ, "Ford CEO: Decision-Making ‘Shot Clock’ Needed to Accelerate Plans," 30 June 2017

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

First Known Use of quicken

14th century

quicken Synonyms

Synonyms

accelerate, bundle, fast-track, hasten, hurry, rush, speed (up), whisk

Antonyms

brake, decelerate, retard, slow (down)

Related Words

drive, goad, prod, propel, push, race, spur, stir, urge; aid, dispatch, ease, encourage, expedite, facilitate

Near Antonyms

delay, encumber, fetter, hamper, hinder, hobble, hold back, hold up, impede, interfere (with), manacle, rein (in), restrain, shackle, tie up, trammel; arrest, check, stall, stay, still, stop

Synonym Discussion of quicken

quicken, animate, enliven, vivify mean to make alive or lively. quicken stresses a sudden renewal of life or activity especially in something inert.

- the arrival of spring quickens the earth

animate emphasizes the imparting of motion or vitality to what is or might be mechanical or artificial.

- happiness animated his conversation

enliven suggests a stimulus that arouses from dullness or torpidity.

- enlivened her lectures with humorous anecdotes

vivify implies a freshening or energizing through renewal of vitality.

- new blood needed to vivify the dying club

synonyms see in addition provoke

QUICKEN Defined for English Language Learners

quicken

play

verb

Definition of quicken for English Language Learners

: to make (something) faster
: to become faster
: to make (something, such as a feeling) stronger or more active

QUICKEN Defined for Kids

quicken

play

verb quick·en \ ˈkwi-kən \

Definition of quicken for Students

quickened; quickening

1 :to make or become faster :hasten

They quickened their steps.

2 :to make or become stronger or more active

Curiosity quickened my interest.

Medical Dictionary

quicken

play

intransitive verb quick·en \ ˈkwik-ən \

medical Definition of quicken

quickened; quickening play \-(ə-)niŋ\

:to reach the stage of gestation at which fetal motion is felt

Learn More about quicken

See words that rhyme with quicken Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for quicken Spanish Central: Translation of quicken Nglish: Translation of quicken for Spanish speakers

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quicken

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quickener

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First Known Use of quicken

quicken Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of quicken

QUICKEN Defined for English Language Learners

quicken

Definition of quicken for English Language Learners

QUICKEN Defined for Kids

quicken

Definition of quicken for Students

Medical Dictionary

quicken

medical Definition of quicken

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