as in to grow
to become mature
pears ripening on the tree
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Recent Examples of ripen
Speak if and when the words ripen.
—
Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The shots induce the ovaries to ripen multiple follicles, the sacs that contain eggs, so that a surgeon can go in with a tiny needle, and drain the fluid in those follicles, which is then run into an adjacent embryology lab to search for the eggs.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 31 May 2026
This grouping includes some of the fastest-ripening varieties for an early crop.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 May 2026
Properly secured netting is the most effective way to protect ripening fruit from birds.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
The shots induce the ovaries to ripen multiple follicles, the sacs that contain eggs, so that a surgeon can go in with a tiny needle, and drain the fluid in those follicles, which is then run into an adjacent embryology lab to search for the eggs.
—Lesley Stahl, CBS News, 31 May 2026
This grouping includes some of the fastest-ripening varieties for an early crop.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 31 May 2026
Properly secured netting is the most effective way to protect ripening fruit from birds.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for ripen
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ripen
Verb
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All the back-and-forth came to an ice-cold end to start the second half as the Knicks only mustered two points through the first five minutes of the third quarter, as the Spurs’ lead grew to as many as 14.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
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The growing dependence on OpenAI has also raised questions over what happens if enthusiasm surrounding AI valuations cools.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
4 June 2026
Verb
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As the journey progresses, a male driver and his female companion (neither pictured on-screen) begin to discuss the Winkie.—
Jonathan Odden,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
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And then progress and performance slow down in production, when teams encounter obstacles like security, access control, compliance steps, data ownership and integration with existing systems.—
Ashwin Gaidhani,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ripen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ripen. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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