quicken

verb

quick·​en ˈkwi-kən 

quickened; quickening 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

ˈkwi-kə-nər 

ˈkwik-nər

noun

Synonyms

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

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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 on the Web

In one sense, the argument coincided with the emerging medical understanding of embryology that characterized pregnancy as a continuum of development and did not consider quickening to be its defining stage. —Pam Belluck, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024

Enlarge / Those numbers in squares should make any Minesweeper fan's heart quicken. —Kyle Orland, Ars Technica, 18 Aug. 2023

Cruz seemed very nervous, and the officer could see Cruz's chest rise and fall as the suspect's breathing quickened. —Beth Warren, The Courier-Journal, 21 Feb. 2024

Part of this concern is driven by the quickening cadence of global conflicts, with ongoing wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and concerns about a crisis in the Taiwan Strait. —Jami Miscik, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2024

From these, the whales might be able to sense her heartbeat quickening. —Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2024

Off the coasts, rising sea levels due to global warming cause waves to be bigger, quickening rates of erosion and contributing to California’s rising tides. —Leila Sackur, NBC News, 4 Feb. 2024

On defense, the 49ers generated enough pressure to fold Mahomes back into the pocket and quicken his timing. —Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, 11 Feb. 2024

Expect burning fingertips and toes, racing hearts and quickening breath, involuntarily shaking. —Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

quicken

verb

quick·​en ˈkwik-ən 

quickened; quickening -(ə-)niŋ 

1

a

: to make or become alive : revive

warm spring days that quickened the earth

b

: arouse sense 2, stimulate

curiosity quickened her interest

2

: to make or become quicker : hasten

quickened her steps

3

a

: to begin growth and development

seeds quickening in the soil

b

: to reach the stage of fetal growth at which motion is begun

Medical Definition

quicken

intransitive verb

quick·​en ˈkwik-ən 

quickened; quickening -(ə-)niŋ 

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